Junction City residents push to protect local cannabis economy, pedestrian safety and floodplain access

Residents, commissioners and staff spent extensive time on Junction City's community plan during Trinity County's June 11 workshops, pressing county leaders to preserve local agriculture, improve pedestrian safety and resolve commercial constraints along Highway 299.

Why it matters: Junction City participants tied economic survival to the community's ability to host small businesses, home-based industries and agricultural producers. Floodplain mapping and potential Caltrans actions along Highway 299 are seen as major constraints on future commercial development.

What residents asked for: Several residents and meeting participants urged the board to: - Keep references to local agriculture and the cannabis industry prominent in the Junction City vision statement (several speakers said cannabis functions as an agricultural crop for the local economy). - Support pedestrian infrastructure linking the school, park and community facilities to reduce dangerous crossings on Highway 299 (residents cited missing sidewalks and hazardous crossings by Canyon Creek and the Grange). - Coordinate with Caltrans to reduce access constraints and review FEMA flood-zone impacts to preserve commercial opportunities along 299.

Board and staff response: Brent, the consultant, told the commissioners that many of the community requests could be addressed by zoning and programmatic changes. The board directed staff to: - Coordinate with Caltrans when future projects on Highway 299 may affect local access and to explore opportunities to identify additional commercial parcels outside mapped flood zones. - Keep Junction City's pedestrian and circulation needs aligned with the county's active transportation plan and to pursue grant opportunities for sidewalks and crossings (but not to commit county capital funding at this stage). - Offer the community another opportunity to confirm an updated vision statement at the next round of workshops, rather than locking in changes immediately.

Fire and post-fire cleanup: Junction City residents also raised post-fire cleanup, hazard-tree removal and invasive-species control as urgent priorities after past wildfires. Commissioners asked staff to ensure countywide hazard and safety policies address both fuel-reduction (prevention) and post-fire cleanup and restoration; staff said several related policies already appear in the draft safety and public-facilities elements and suggested more targeted language once the hazards element is reviewed.

Quotes from the workshop: "Most of the Junction City community plan meetings were really focused around the...good fit for Junction City," resident John (last name withheld) said of agriculture and local businesses. Commissioner Duncan said, "If there's a place for it in the community plan to really reinforce the need for support because of its tendency to burn," suggesting Junction City be noted for targeted post-fire support.

Next steps: Staff will bring refined language on Junction City's vision statement, pedestrian priorities and Caltrans coordination back to the community in the next set of workshops and will work with the county's active transportation planning and hazard-safety teams to identify grantable projects.