Planning Commission
MEETING DATE: 9/20/2017
Title
CASE NO. Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 17-001
APPLICANT: City of Cathedral City
LOCATION: Citywide
REQUEST: Recommendation to the City Council regarding a proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment to conditionally permit adult-use cannabis businesses and make other revisions to the Zoning Code related to cannabis businesses
End
STAFF:
Erica Vega, Assistant City Attorney
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That the Planning Commission adopt a resolution recommending that the City Council adopt an ordinance amending Chapters 9.08, 9.30, 9.36, 9.40, 9.42 and 9.108 of the Zoning Code to allow adult-use cannabis businesses and make other amendments related to cannabis businesses and finding such ordinance to be exempt from CEQA.
Body
FINDINGS:
1. Zoning Ordinance Amendment (ZOA) 17-001 is consistent with the intent of the Zoning Code and the General Plan. The Zoning Code permits medical cannabis businesses and this ordinance would allow cannabis businesses to also engage in activity related to the recently legalized adult-use market. Such businesses would be subject to the same regulations as existing medical cannabis businesses. ZOA 17-001 is also consistent with Goal 2 of the Community Development Element of the General Plan, which seeks to optimize opportunities for economic-base building.
2. The adoption of this Ordinance is statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to California Business and Professions Code section 26055(h), which provides that CEQA "does not apply to the adoption of an ordinance, rule, or regulation by a local jurisdiction that requires discretionary review and approval of permits, licenses, or other authorizations to engage in commercial cannabis activity."
BACKGROUND:
The voters approved Proposition 64 at the November 2016 general election, which legalized "adult-use" of cannabis and established the foundation for state regulation and...
Click here for full text