Sonoma County anticipates pending cannabis impact study

On the heels of its decision to enact a 45-day moratorium on one of its cannabis cultivation permit pathways, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is set to discuss what regulation measures to study as it prepares to rework its cannabis ordinance.

Since California voters supported legalizing adult-use marijuana in 2016, Sonoma County has struggled with its policy regulating the local cannabis industry. Its oversight of cannabis farmers has been a particular problem area for county lawmakers and staff.

Cannabis farmers looking to break into the industry have criticized the county for its permitting process which they say is burdensome because of the years it takes to navigate, the many studies required and the high cost.

The cost of pursuing a conditional use permit through the count ranges from $15,000 to $30,000 according to Scott Orr, deputy director of the county’s planning division.

Pushing back on the industry are residents concerned about the impact of farms on nearby neighborhoods, water usage and safety.

In May, the county committed to a full environmental impact evaluating the cannabis industry’s impact and a redevelopment of its current cannabis ordinance.

Tuesday, staff from the county’s building and permitting department Permit Sonoma will move that process forward with an update to the Board of Supervisors recapping input from the public, neighborhood groups and industry groups, and identifying policy options to study through the EIR.

“These are ideas that we are interested in further study and doing our homework with an environmental review to see what the impact of that would be,” said Bradley Dunn, policy manager for the county’s planning and building department.

Among the policy options Permit Sonoma staff will suggest studying is classifying cannabis as agriculture, identifying alternatives to ministerial permits, establishing exclusion zones and allowing small “cottage” cannabis grows in Agricultural Residential (AR) and Rural Residential (RR) zoning districts.

A cottage permit allows just 25 plants on parcels of at least 2 acres for outdoor gardens and a maximum of 500 square feet for indoor cultivation.

Allowing cannabis cultivation in AR and RR districts has long been a controversial topic for the county. In past years residents balked at allowing cannabis in those zones because of concerns over safety and the overall impact to nearby neighborhoods.

Like the other policy options coming before the board Tuesday, the AR and RR option is being proposed as measure to study in the impact report, not adopt, said Crystal Acker, supervising planner with Permit Sonoma.

Tuesday, county staff will ask the board for direction on what policy options to study in the environmental impact review. The results of that study will then be used to determine what to include in the new, revised cannabis ordinance, Acker said.

“We’re going to go where the evidence and data is,” said Dun. “What we’re looking at here is making sure that we do our homework and the environmental analysis.”

The entire process is expected to take three years, said Acker.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.