Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Trinity Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trinity Center residents urge protection for local cannabis farms, worry over vacant vacation rentals and demand infrastructure upgrades
Summary
Trinity Center commenters defended legacy cannabis cultivation as part of local agriculture, urged policies for long-term housing to curb vacant short-term rentals and asked the county to pursue improved electric, broadband and marina services; staff noted some comments were not captured in an email routing issue and will be incorporated.
The Trinity Center community plan drew robust public comment June 11 as residents pressed planners to protect longstanding agricultural economies, fix infrastructure gaps and examine the local effects of short-term rentals.
Cannabis and community identity: Several Trinity Center speakers emphasized that cannabis is a long-standing part of local agriculture and asked the county not to stigmatize growers. "When you state that, that creates fear mongering in the community," said Matt Jefferson, a Trinity Center resident and cultivator, describing how labeling growers as nuisances had led to tension and, in some cases, criminal activity. Multiple commenters urged clear protections and pathways for legitimate, regulated growers.
Housing and short-term rentals: Workshop participants also raised concerns about vacant houses and short-term rentals removing housing stock for residents. Staff noted policies and programs in the draft plan that encourage conversion of short-term rentals and seasonal homes back to long-term housing, including a proposed short-term vacation rental impact study.
Infrastructure and recreation: Residents asked the county to support improved electric service and broadband. Staff reported a county clean-energy feasibility grant is in progress to study options for delivering power to remote communities. Trinity Center speakers also requested better marina services and additional recreation infrastructure; staff cautioned any full-service marina would require coordination with federal and state agencies (including the U.S. Forest Service and state boating agencies) and carry permitting hurdles.
Public-comment technical note: Planning staff said a short email-routing glitch prevented a small number of public comments from getting into the consultant's inbox; the consultant asked the board to permit staff to review and fold the missing comments into the next draft.
Next steps: Staff will incorporate missing written comments where appropriate, coordinate further with tribal and federal partners on marina and recreation requests, and carry Trinity Center comments forward into the next draft and the upcoming community workshops.
