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Zoning administrator approves retroactive permit for 10,000 sq ft canvas cannabis cultivation in timber zone
Summary
Mendocino County zoning administrator approved an administrative permit to legalize a 10,000-square-foot outdoor canvas cannabis cultivation on two parcels near Laytonville, imposing remediation and setback conditions tied to prior CDFW agreements and state water rules.
The Mendocino County Zoning Administrator on June 12 approved an administrative permit to legalize a 10,000-square-foot outdoor canvas cannabis cultivation operation on two parcels at 8000 Simerly Ranch Road near Laytonville, subject to conditions including remediation of an expired pond permit and setbacks from watercourses.
Staff planner Rob Fitzsimmons told the hearing the operation would occur in hoop houses and, because no artificial lighting is proposed, qualifies as outdoor cultivation under county code. He said the site has been developed with hoop houses, a man-made pond originally created as a stream-diversion reservoir to support cannabis cultivation, a cabin, well and septic, and that cultivation activity has occurred on the site since before 2017.
The application includes work that previously was part of an agreement with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for stream restoration and a pond exemption permit. Fitzsimmons said the pond permit application has expired and the agreed restoration has not been completed, and staff therefore recommended a condition requiring remediation by Oct. 15, 2026 (recommended condition 9). He also said some greenhouses are within 50 feet of ephemeral watercourses identified by CDFW and must comply with state and agency setbacks before cultivation may continue in those structures.
"Cannabis cultivation must maintain 50-foot setbacks from water courses per state water board regulations," Fitzsimmons said during his presentation.
Fitzsimmons recommended the zoning administrator find the project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and approve the permit with the revised conditions included in a June 11, 2025 memo. The zoning administrator closed the public hearing after noting there were no public comments and said, "I will approve the project subject to the findings within the staff report and the conditions as revised by the memo dated, 06/11/2025."
Conditions require remediation tied to the expired pond permit and immediate cessation of cultivation in any greenhouse not in compliance with required setbacks until certificates of occupancy or other applicable approvals are obtained. Staff also noted no tree removal is proposed and that the parcel remains in Timberland Production zoning.
The decision authorizes use that staff said has been ongoing on-site since before 2017; it does not resolve outstanding operational permits or compliance matters that fall under the Mendocino County cannabis department or other agencies. The zoning administrator's approval is limited to the land‑use administrative permit and its findings and conditions.
