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Indybay Feature

Santa Cruz County Cannabis EIR Update and Important Meeting Dates

by GreenTrade Santa Cruz
A draft Environmental Impact Report on establishing a regulated cannabis trade in the County concludes that a more permissive approach is an “environmentally superior alternative” to either a ban or a more restrictive proposed ordinance under consideration.
we-support-santa-cruz-cannabis.jpg
Important Meeting Dates and EIR update from GreenTrade

I hope you weathered the wild Labor Day Weekend and are ready for a busy September.

We’ve been diving in and out of the EIR and below is a very brief update. There will be a public presentation by County staff and the consultants tomorrow at 6 PM. Some other important meetings coming up are listed as well.

After 8 months and nearly $1 million dollars, a draft Environmental Impact Report on establishing a regulated cannabis trade in the County concludes that a more permissive approach is an “environmentally superior alternative” to either a ban or a more restrictive proposed ordinance under consideration.

The report has been circulating among County staff for the last several weeks and was released to the public on Aug 31. The comment period runs through Oct 15. A public meeting to present the draft will be held Wed (Sept 6) at the BOS chambers in the County Building at 6:00 PM.

The 637 pages plus appendices is the most comprehensive quantitative analysis to date of cannabis operations in Santa Cruz County. While acknowledging the difficulty in acquiring solid, verifiable data it offers a credible “baseline” from which to begin discussing how to treat the local cannabis trade.

The “More Permissive Alternative” increases the amount of cultivation that can occur by reducing the minimum parcel sizes in the A and RA zoning districts, allowing cultivation within the 1 mile buffer zone for RA, TP and SU zoning, allowing cultivation in the 2nd district and reducing required setbacks from habitable structures. It also increases allowable canopy limits.

In addition most manufacturing activities are proposed to be conditionally permitted through required discretionary land use permit approval(s) in addition to a license

Copies of the proposed County ordinances for both cultivation and manufacturing can be seen here:
https://amec.app.box.com/s/9kwsew30l0kks1aboam34mr2zbpygj07/file/217721683704

Important meeting dates and times:

Wednesday, Sept 6, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Public Information Meeting to Present the Draft Cannabis EIR;. Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Chambers

Thursday, Sept 7 BOS Agenda for Sept 12 meeting published

Tuesday, Sept 12, 9AM Board of Supervisors Meeting

Wednesday, Sept 13 7PM, Support Santa Cruz Cannabis Kickoff Public Meeting

Thursday, Sept 14 5:30 PM Cultivators Workshop with California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board discussing state-level requirements for licensing with these agencies

Friday, Sept 15, 11:30 AM “Drugs, Bugs and Slugs” Santa Cruz County Assn of Realtors, 2525 Main St ($15 Registration fee)


--
Jim Coffis
Deputy Director
Green Trade Santa Cruz
A Coalition of Cannabis Businesses
§Santa Cruz County Cannabis Environmental Impact Report (Draft)
by via Erika Leachman
santa-cruz-county-cannabis-draft-eir-2017.pdf_600_.jpg
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Owner: Erika Leachman
Enterprise Owner: Amec Foster Wheeler
Uploader: Erika Leachman
Created: Aug 30, 2017, 2:26 PM
Modified: Aug 30, 2017, 2:26 PM
Size: 99.7 MB

Reposted from box.com
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