Planning Commission approves Humboldt Sanctuary Farms conditional use permit for cannabis cultivation

The Humboldt County Planning Commission on March 18 approved a conditional use permit for Humboldt Sanctuary LLC to operate outdoor commercial cannabis cultivation on an approximately 57-acre parcel in the Salmon Creek area.

Senior planner Steven Santos told commissioners the permit covers 28,500 square feet of outdoor commercial cannabis cultivation and a 1,900-square-foot ancillary nursery. Santos said the project proposes on-site processing and a combination of solar power with generators reserved for emergency use only; a standard condition requires the operation to transition to renewable energy by Jan. 1, 2026. Staff estimated annual water use at about 300,000 gallons per year and said the applicant relies on a rainwater catchment pond estimated at roughly 600,000 gallons plus about 9,900 gallons in tanks used for irrigation.

Why it matters: The permit raises water-use, energy and cultural-resource questions that the commission and commenters discussed. County staff recommended approval with conditions and an addendum to the previously adopted mitigated negative declaration for the Commercial Medical Marijuana Land Use Ordinance (CMMLUO).

Staff presentation and public comment Senior Planner Steven Santos described site layout, two cultivation areas and six greenhouses in cultivation area 3. He said relocation and consolidation work has already been completed on-site and most restoration work is finished except for removal of some legacy irrigation infrastructure. Santos listed public comments the department had received on noise, property taxes, power source, setbacks, archaeological review and site suitability; he said staff had conditioned the project to conform to noise standards, confirmed the project was current on taxes and referred the project to local tribes. The conditions of approval include an inadvertent discovery protocol requested by Bear River.

An applicant representative identified herself as Suzanne with Marco Advisors and said she was available for questions but deferred to the planning department’s recommendations.

State water board buffer and setbacks A commissioner asked whether the riparian buffer might change this season. Santos said county staff coordinated with the State Water Resources Control Board, which accepted the 50-foot buffer recommended in the application as a practical matter but reserved the right to perform its own site analysis in the future; the county left a condition in place so that, if state analysis identifies a different buffer, the condition would apply. Santos also said he reviewed property-line setbacks and concluded the greenhouses in cultivation area 3 meet the applicable setbacks.

Commission action and vote A motion to approve the resolution approving the Humboldt Sanctuary LLC conditional use permit and finding that the previously adopted mitigated negative declaration for the CMMLUO and the project's addendum apply carried on a unanimous roll-call vote. The record shows all commissioners present voted yes and the planning commission adopted the resolution approving the conditional use permit subject to the recommended conditions of approval.

What the approval requires The project approval is conditioned on the recommended mitigation measures and the conditions of approval discussed in the staff report, including the renewable energy transition requirement (generators for emergency use only) and standard archaeological inadvertent discovery protocols. Staff recommended the planning commission adopt findings supporting the project's consistency with the general plan and zoning.

Context and next steps The commission treated the item as old business after receiving the staff presentation, took two public comments, considered the questions about buffer and setbacks, and then approved the permit. The decision was recorded by roll-call vote; no appeal period or appeal action was discussed on the record during the meeting. Staff said the county would make the minor corrections to the project description noted during public comment before the file is finalized.