Planning commission continues decision on Little High Valley cannabis permit after neighbors raise grading, easement and water concerns

The Lake County Planning Commission on Feb. 13 continued public hearing UP21-07, Little High Valley, a major use permit application for two Type 3 outdoor commercial cannabis cultivation licenses (87,120 square feet of canopy within a 90,620-square-foot cultivation area) and one Type 13 self-distribution (transport only) license at 17870 Little High Valley Road, to March 27, 2025.

Why it matters: The application provoked sustained public comment and technical questions about whether site work had been performed without required grading permits, whether the only access to the parcel crosses other private properties whose owners have not granted permission for commercial cannabis operations, and whether local wells and biological resources could be harmed. Staff recommended adopting a mitigated negative declaration and approving the permit with conditions; the commission moved to continue the item to allow legal and factual issues to be resolved.

Planning staff presented the project scope, site constraints and environmental review. Planning staff summarized the proposal as including two acres of outdoor canopy, a 3,500-square-foot processing building with ADA restroom for drying and storage, four 2,500-gallon irrigation tanks, a 5,000-gallon water tank with a 2½-inch quick coupling for fire suppression, and an eight-space employee parking area (including one ADA space). The parcel is roughly 78.38 acres in the Lower Lake planning area and is zoned rural lands within Supervisorial District 1. Staff said the project’s initial study identified potential impacts to aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural and tribal cultural resources, hydrology and water quality, hazards…