Memorandum
Item 1
9:05 AM
October 22, 2020
STAFF REPORT
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Scott DeLeon, Community Development Director
Toccarra Nicole Thomas, Deputy Community Development Director
Mark Roberts, Principal Planner
Prepared By: Katherine Schaefers, Assistant Planner
DATE: October 14, 2020
SUBJECT: Annual Cannabis Compliance 2020 Discussion and Recommendations
ATTACHMENTS: 1. PowerPoint
2. Notification Letter
3. Article 27 Zoning Ordinance Compliance Monitoring Excerpts
4. Cannabis Cultivation Inspection Report
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pursuant to Article 27 of the Lake County Zoning Ordinance, “A compliance monitoring inspection of the cultivation site shall be conducted annually during growing season”. The Community Development Department conducted the Cannabis permit annual compliance inspections over a nine week period. Close to 40 permits were visited and assessed, including early activation, minor and major use permits. Careful consideration was paid to permittees’ implementation of conditions, required documentation located on-site, and water monitoring.
In sum, 20 permits were assessed as In-Compliance with all conditions. Eight permits were In-Compliance with minor corrections, and were quickly resolved within a few days of inspection. Approximately nine permits were not In-Compliance at the time of inspection. Of these four are now In-Compliance, three require minor follow-up, and two require more extensive corrections.
The 2020 growing season saw a fraction of our current permits assessed. During the next few years, assessments will grow exponentially. We will need to develop strategies for not only assessments of these permits, but assessments of Annual Reports. This year, we have roughly 35 Annual Reports. As per Article 27:
(a) “All cannabis permittees shall submit a “Performance Review Report” on an annual basis from their initial date of operation for review and approval by the Planning Commission.
(b) The Planning Commission may delegate review of the annual Performance Review Report to the Director at the time of the initial hearing or at any time thereafter.
(c) This annual “Performance Review Report” is intended to identify the effectiveness of the approved minor or major use permit, Operations Manual, Operating Standards, and conditions of approval, as well as the identification and implementation of additional procedures as deemed necessary.
(d) In the event the Planning Commission identifies problems with specific Performance Review Report that could potentially lead to revocation of the associated minor or major use permit, the Planning Commission may require the submittal of more frequent “Performance Review Reports.”