Zoning administrator approves 10,000 sq ft outdoor cultivation permit on 24.4-acre timber parcel; neighbors raise water and fire concerns

The Mendocino County Zoning Administrator on June 12 approved an administrative permit for a 10,000-square-foot outdoor cannabis cultivation operation on a 24.4-acre parcel at 26900 Comte Ukiah Road, permitting use within ten previously approved ag-exempt greenhouses and finding no further tree removal or permanent land conversion is required.

Jamie Henry, the staff planner, said the project would use existing infrastructure including a permitted single-family residence, shipping containers, a dry building, solar power and a backup generator; no artificial lighting is proposed. Henry said the parcel lies within the Timberland Production zoning district and the forest land general plan designation, and that the Mendocino County Department of Transportation requested a condition requiring construction of a commercial driveway and an encroachment permit for driveway work.

The hearing drew two public commenters. Neighbor John Joyce said he was concerned about the shared groundwater basin and recalled a previous operation that ran a well temporarily dry and trucked in water. Joyce also reported past incidents of trimmers camping on neighboring property, an unattended campfire and associated trash, and raised noise concerns should a large generator be required. "My number 1 concern is the illegal fires," Joyce said, adding worries about water supply and safety for grandchildren and pets.

Staff clarified the zoning administrator hearing reviews the land‑use component; operational permits and compliance matters such as water use and cultivation licensing fall to the Mendocino County cannabis department. Henry said no artificial lighting is proposed and that the generator indicated in the permit would be backup power for the residence on the parcel. She noted the Mendocino cannabis department included a condition that noncompliance with administrative‑permit conditions at Cannabis Cultivation Business License (CCBL) renewal may result in permit revocation.

The zoning administrator closed the public hearing after public comment and approved the project "subject to the findings and conditions contained within the resolution." He encouraged the commenter to follow up with the Mendocino County cannabis department about operational concerns.

The approval confines cultivation to cleared areas and previously approved structures and includes conditions required by county departments; it does not substitute for operational licensing, monitoring and enforcement by the county cannabis program or for code enforcement action where unpermitted activities occur.