Lake County commission approves Eastside Farms cannabis expansion with mitigations; commissioners voice water, generator and bridge concerns

The Lake County Planning Commission on July 9 adopted a mitigated negative declaration and granted a major use permit amendment for Eastside Farms (Ross Cunningham) to expand outdoor cannabis cultivation and add limited on‑site processing at clustered parcels near Jerusalem Grade in the Middletown area.

Assistant Planner Pablo Guerrero summarized the request: the project would add a third garden shown in staff materials as a roughly 50,000‑square‑foot cultivation area with about 21,600 square feet of planting canopy; staff described the total clustered cultivation acreage as approximately 35 acres and stated total cultivation area and canopy numbers in the staff report. "The proposed cannabis ... will become composed of 3 type 1c licenses, maximum of 70,500 square feet canopy to the existing a type 3," staff said in the presentation, and later clarified totals alongside the applicant's consultant.

Consultant Trey Sherrill clarified metrics and operational intent: the proposed Garden 3 is a 50,000‑sq‑ft fenced cultivation area containing about 21,600 sq ft of canopy; the consultant and staff explained that earlier approvals authorized up to 1 acre of cultivation and that the amendment would change the way canopy and cultivation area are counted on the site. Sherrill said pump tests and a hydrological assessment indicate the on‑site wells can meet the project's projected demands and that the applicant's drought management plan includes measures that would reduce water use during declared drought emergencies.

Staff reported the project's projected water use at about 1,307,000 gallons (approximately four acre‑feet) per year for the properties combined and estimated cultivation‑only use at roughly 818,574 gallons per year; staff said the hydrological assessment modeled cumulative impacts and that mitigation measures documented in the draft initial study would reduce potential impacts to less‑than‑significant levels. The commission's packet also included tribal consultation notes: the Middletown Rancheria engaged in AB 52 consultation and staff reported no outstanding tribal objections.

Several commissioners and public commenters raised concerns. Commissioner Fields and public commenter Margo Kambara questioned whether short pump tests accurately reflect sustainable yields, urged stronger cumulative water accounting, and called for strict adherence to minimum fire‑safe road standards. Kambara argued backups using gasoline generators pose an ignition risk in high‑fire areas and said, "Running out of solar or battery power is not an emergency," urging tighter enforcement of article 27 language on generator use. Staff and counsel clarified that the initial study analyzed generators as backup power in the proposed project, that the area relies heavily on on‑site solar and batteries because grid extension is often infeasible, and that county code contains both limits and pathways for transitional power use.

Commissioners also discussed a private bridge on Jerusalem Grade used for site access. Counsel and staff explained the project proponent (the dominant easement beneficiary) is generally responsible for upkeep of private easements and that the commission could weigh access adequacy when making findings; staff offered to require primary access via the bridge rather than stream crossings to minimize environmental harm.

After discussion, a commissioner moved (and the motion was seconded) to adopt the mitigated negative declaration (initial study PL 25243) and to grant the major use permit subject to the conditions listed in the staff report (including the amended language and annual reporting requirements). Both motions passed by voice vote; the commission announced the seven‑calendar‑day appeal period.

What this means: The permit allows Eastside Farms to proceed under the conditions adopted with the MND; staff will monitor implementation of hydrological mitigation measures and other conditions. Several commissioners said they remain concerned about enforcement and long‑term cumulative water effects and recommended continued attention to monitoring and code enforcement.