Council upholds denial of Valley Farms cannabis relocation near school

The Salinas City Council on Aug. 4 unanimously affirmed the planning commission’s denial of Emerald Skyway LLC’s request to relocate an existing cannabis dispensary, finding the proposed site did not meet municipal buffer requirements around sensitive uses.

City planning staff told the council the selection committee and planning commission measured the required separation parcel-to-parcel and found the site 995 feet from a school — inside the 1,000-foot minimum. “The municipal code indicates that the code shall be … parcel to parcel,” staff said during the presentation and recommended the council affirm the earlier denials. Neighbors, community groups and the local school district urged the council to uphold the buffer, citing student safety and high pedestrian activity in the shopping-center area.

The applicant’s counsel, Gene Stonebarger, argued the city used the wrong measurement method and that areas unavailable for use by either the dispensary or the school should be excluded. “My clients … purchased an existing business for over $3,000,000,” Stonebarger said, arguing certified surveys show usable area places the dispensary more than 1,110 feet from the school under the code’s unavailable-use exclusion. Martin Wesley, the company CEO, said the business had paid more than $585,000 in direct excise taxes and that security measures would be in place if the permit were approved.

Public commenters and prevention groups opposed the relocation. Felipe Lopez of Salinas Leadership Blue Light Council argued the council must enforce the rules consistently: “If the city begins making exceptions whenever an applicant disagrees with the outcome, then the ordinance loses its meaning.” School-district officials and residents described nearby bus stops, a laundromat and high foot traffic as reasons to deny the relocation.

Council members acknowledged confusion in the permitting history and expressed sympathy for the applicant’s financial loss, but said neighborhood safety and consistent code enforcement guided their votes. The council voted to affirm the selection committee and planning commission denials, effectively denying the relocation request. The decision leaves the applicant without an approved relocation option in Salinas; staff noted the municipal code provides a public process to amend buffer rules if the council chooses to pursue changes later.