Lake County may approve huge grow
LAKE COUNTY >> On Thursday, the Lake County Planning Commission will consider approving permits for two large commercial cannabis farming projects that would grow 54 acres of crop if carried out.
The projects, which are being recommended by county staff for approval by the commission, are each located in Benmore Valley— a sprawling, secluded agricultural property near Lake County’s western border—near Highway 175 (Hopland Grade).
Benmore Valley Ranch, LLC, the developer of both projects, is proposing to grow 39 acres of cannabis within one 55-acre fenced area, and another 15 acres of the plant within a roughly 22acre fenced area.
The Benmore Valley is already
home to permitted commercial cannabis cultivation, but the projects that could be approved this week are significantly larger than what exists there now.
According to a report from Lake County Assistant Planner Victor Fernandez, the applicant has estimated a minimum of eight employees would be working at the cultivation sites at any given time, with a surge potential of up to 24 employees during the peak season.
A six-foot fence of heavygage wire would surround both grow sites, and multiple security cameras would be installed to monitor the area 24/7, Fernandez’ report notes. Dozens of 2,000 square-foot greenhouses would be set up to protect plants in their immature stage. Parking, restrooms, and storage sheds would also be located within the fenced area, according to the report.
Benmore Valley Ranch utilized a provision added to Lake County’s cannabis cultivation regulations in 2019 that allows what is known as the “clustering” of cultivation sites to create larger grows. Benmore Valley Ranch owns multiple parcels of land, many of which are eligible for legal cannabis cultivation, but not one of which is sufficiently large to accommodate the size of grow the company is proposing. Clustering has allowed for the redistribution of multiple parcels’ cultivation capacities into a concentrated site located on several of the parcels.
The larger, 55-acre grow site Benmore Valley Ranch is proposing would be located across five parcels, but would use the cultivation allowance from 13 parcels. The smaller, 22-acre site would transfer cultivation allowances from four parcels to a grow located on just two of those parcels.
The property is remote: its closest residential “neighbor” is 1.5 miles away, according to a county staff report. Due to the local topography, no part of the project site would be visible from the highway.
The same report notes that the project aligns with the Lake County General Plan and the Lakeport Area Plan for economic development purposes. “The proposed Commercial Cannabis Operation, would create not only a service to the residents of Lake County, but it would also help boost the local economics and create employment opportunities,” county staff write.
The project site is at the former location of a nowdefunct vineyard. According to the property owner, the project footprint would match that of the old vineyard.
Greg Kelley, the owner of an adjacent 200- acre swath of land adjacent to the proposed project wrote to the county planning department, noting that while he supports the project moving forward, he would like to see the old vineyard fencing removed, in “consideration for wildlife access to Benmore Creek,” a nearby tributary to Scott Creek.