Staff outlines interim cannabis moratorium and odor concerns; council to consider extension Feb. 26

Planning staff updated the commission on a recently adopted interim moratorium affecting new cannabis conditional‑use permits and licenses and described ongoing complaints tied largely to a cultivation facility near Deep Palm Drive and Ramon Road.

Development Services Director Feierstein told commissioners the council enacted an urgency moratorium at its most recent meeting, explaining: “That moratorium went into effect at the last council meeting as an urgency item,” and that the action required a four‑fifths council finding of pressing concern. The interim moratorium is a 45‑day restriction; staff will return to council on Feb. 26 to seek a possible extension (city council may extend the moratorium up to two times, typically to a year per extension) while staff reviews code options and the public engagement plan.

Staff said the moratorium responds to a cluster of odor complaints concentrated around Deep Palm Drive and Ramon Road tied to a large cultivation operation; complaints have been reported elsewhere in the city as well. Staff noted the operator installed an oxidation/fogging odor‑mitigation system on Nov. 29 and staff inspected it on Dec. 3; staff said the system “has substantially reduced the odor” in measured concentrations but that public complaints have continued and in some cases increased.

Staff described exemptions and enforcement practice: operators with existing cannabis CUPs, existing licenses and active building permits for an approved project were not immediately blocked from continuing permitted build‑out; the moratorium applies to new licenses, new CUPs, and expansions filed after the moratorium’s effective date. Staff said they have worked with applicants who were in the pipeline to submit materials before the moratorium took effect.

Next steps and public engagement - City Council will consider a more detailed strategy and whether to extend the moratorium at its Feb. 26 meeting; staff will present potential amendments to zoning and cannabis regulations to address odour control, allowed zones and other mitigations. - Staff signaled a public engagement process will be part of the review; the planning commission and a cannabis task force may be involved in ordinance recommendations.

Why it matters: the moratorium pauses new cannabis approvals while the city develops code changes to address odor and land use compatibility concerns; nearby businesses and residents have reported impacts that prompted the urgency action.