Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Cannabis Permits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Humboldt County commissioners continue two cannabis permit items amid water-allocation and odor concerns
Summary
The Planning Commission continued consideration of two conditional use permits tied to cannabis cultivation—Cisco/Sysco Farms and Carlotta Gardens—after neighbors raised odor and groundwater-use worries and commissioners requested more detailed water‑use and odor‑mitigation information for staff to return on May 21.
The Humboldt County Planning Commission on May 7 moved two cannabis-related land-use items off the consent calendar and continued both for further staff review after neighbors raised concerns about odor and a significant increase in permitted water allocation.
During public comment and commissioner discussion, neighbors said the operations produce a strong odor and expressed worry that expanded operations could harm private wells. One neighbor told the commission, “It smells terrible when the wind's blowing our direction…who wants to buy a house that stinks of marijuana all the time?” (public commenter, speaker 1).
Commissioners flagged a staff-reported water allocation that appeared to be roughly double prior allotments for the site. Commissioner Levy (speaker 5) said the application showed an increase in cultivation area of about 20,000 square feet on top of an existing 50,000, and questioned why the requested water allocation had doubled rather than scaling with the acreage increase. Several commissioners cited previously approved projects with allocations as low as 6–17 gallons per square foot per year and called the staff‑reported 23 gallons per square foot a year figure “high” by local precedent (Commissioner Scavdahl, speaker 4; Commissioner comment, speaker 4).
County staff told the commission the applicant had obtained a groundwater‑agency signoff but that the requested permit includes an exception to a community‑plan standard that would normally require full enclosure and odor filtration where cultivation is within 600 feet of residences. Staff noted the exception being requested is a central part of what the commission must evaluate.
Commissioners said they wanted more concrete data—historic metered use on the site and clearer justification for the allocation—before making a final decision. Commissioner (speaker 11) moved to continue the Carlotta Gardens item to the May 21 meeting to allow staff time to supply the additional information; that motion passed (one commissioner recorded as opposed). A separate motion to continue the Cisco/Sysco Farms conditional use permit and associated zoning clearance certificate to the May 21 meeting also passed.
The commission emphasized the continuances are for fact‑finding and that no approvals were made. Staff said they will return on May 21 with requested data on past water use, clarification on the groundwater‑agency review, and additional information to help the commission assess whether odor complaints are substantiated and whether the conditional‑use exception is appropriate.
