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Commission backs ordinance change to allow indoor cannabis cultivation on seven parcels in Redway Business Park
Summary
The planning commission recommended the Board of Supervisors rezone seven parcels in Redway Business Park and amend the commercial cannabis land-use ordinance to permit indoor cultivation in MB zones that carry a Q (qualified) combining zone, subject to performance standards on water, energy and odor.
The Humboldt County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors rezone seven parcels in the Redway Business Park and amend the county’s commercial cannabis land-use ordinance (CCLUO) to allow indoor cultivation on those parcels with a qualified combining (Q) zone and performance standards.
Senior planner Steven Santos presented the Evergreen Exotics proposal and the associated ordinance amendment and zone reclassification. He said the CCLUO amendment would “allow indoor cultivation in the MB zone that have the Q qualified combining zone” and that the Q zone is “very surgical” — applying only to the seven named parcels in the business park.
Santos said the Q zone approach pairs the zone reclassification with eight performance standards for indoor cultivation related to water, energy and odor; those standards, he said, are included in the staff report and the draft ordinance. He told the commission the seven parcels were selected in part because they already had water meters and had participated in the community services district’s water-capacity survey.
Staff and applicant representatives explained a numerical water limit tied to the community services district’s capacity analysis. Santos said the water allotment figure was set per meter/customer; Leah Nelson of Northpointe Consulting Group and the applicant’s agent added that the 91,250-gallon figure is a per-customer limit consistent with the district’s analysis. Applicant representatives also explained that any operator using PG&E power must demonstrate on-site PG&E service adequate for indoor cultivation and enroll in 100 percent renewable power (through RCEA) or pursue carbon credits as required by the performance standards.
A member of the public raised questions about PG&E capacity and county water availability; staff replied that the Q zone includes performance standards requiring applicants to show adequate on-site power and a water-use and storage plan.
Commissioner Levy moved and Commissioner O'Neil seconded a resolution recommending the Board of Supervisors approve the rezoning of the seven parcels and amend the CCLUO to allow indoor cultivation in MB zones with the Q combining zone. The commission voted unanimously to adopt the recommendation and forward it to the Board of Supervisors.
