City Council
MEETING DATE: 6/10/2015
TITLE:
Title
Medical Marijuana Cultivation Facilities
End
FROM:
Charlie McClendon, City Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
This item is presented for Council discussion and direction only.
Body
BACKGROUND:
In August of 2014 Council passed an ordinance allowing Medical Marijuana dispensaries with a Conditional Use Permit and with certain location restrictions. Subsequently dispensary operators and potential operators have indicated that the size restriction for the dispensaries (no larger than 2500 square feet) makes it difficult to grow the product on site and cultivation facilities are not allowed in Cathedral City. Recently both the cities of Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs have adopted ordinances allowing cultivation facilities. Council asked staff to bring this item forward for discussion.
DISCUSSION:
According to their City Attorney's summary, the Palm Springs ordinance amendment does the following: "This Ordinance modifies the existing requirements for medical cannabis facilities to allow stand-alone cultivation facilities in industrial zoning districts, and to expand the zoning districts where cooperatives or collectives are allowed to include the H-C (Highway Commercial) and C-2 (General Commercial) zoning districts. In addition, separation distance requirements from protected uses are revised to decrease the distance separation from residential zones, require a distance separation from Palm Canyon Drive, and eliminate the distance separation requirement between cooperatives or collectives."
It doesn't appear that the ordinance contains any restriction on the size of a cultivation facility. It also appears that Palm Springs has eliminated the separation requirements between dispensaries.
Like Palm Springs, it appears that the Desert Hot Springs ordinance allows cultivation facilities in industrial zones with a conditional use permit.
Allowing cultivation fac...
Click here for full text