Lake County planning panel approves Greenfield Farms cannabis cultivation permit

The Lake County Planning Commission on March 26 approved a major use permit for Greenfield Farms (PL-25-306), authorizing roughly 86,308 square feet of outdoor commercial cannabis canopy at 20150 Black Bass Pass Road in Lower Lake. Senior planner Mary Clavon told commissioners the 40.56-acre parcel would use the same footprint as an earlier early-activation cultivation and that staff’s review concluded "all impacts to the environment could be mitigated to less than significant with mitigation measures incorporated" in the draft mitigated negative declaration.

The permit authorizes two cultivation gardens (Garden A about 66,503 sq ft; Garden B about 19,805 sq ft), and a future 1,440 sq ft processing facility with ADA restroom facilities; staff said a dedicated fire-suppression tank will be required. The applicant sought a Type 13 self-distribution/transport license from the Department of Cannabis Control. Commissioners asked for clarity about temporary shipping containers (staff noted county ordinance 3135 allows them for up to three years and limits total container area to 10% of permitted canopy) and about limited flexibility in harvest hours; staff said harvest activities often occur in evening hours and that code language on noise mitigation is copied from county code and can be cited in the record.

Neighbors and commissioners questioned water use. A public speaker who identified himself as Alexander Yusupov, the applicant’s brother and on-site resident, said the plants are spaced roughly "3 to 5 feet apart" and that a water meter was installed in 2021. The project’s hydrology report and staff analysis identified nearby wells and concluded the site’s recharge rate can support the project as proposed; staff also said annual monitoring reports and well-test information are part of the record and can be provided on request.

After questions and public comment, a commissioner moved to adopt the mitigated negative declaration and find impacts could be mitigated to less than significant; a subsequent motion granted the major use permit subject to the conditions and findings in the staff report. The motions carried on voice vote. The chair reminded interested parties that the zoning ordinance provides a seven-calendar-day appeal period to the Board of Supervisors.

The permit approval includes the environmental mitigations described in the staff report and the draft mitigated negative declaration; the staff report also lists specific conditions of approval regarding setbacks, water-metering and monitoring, and building/processing standards. The county will post the final conditions and the 7-day appeal deadline in the record.