Cannabis cultivation “overlay” zoning meetings will be held, today & tomorrow

By Mendo Voice Staff | July 26, 2018

MENDOCINO Co., 7/25/18 — As part of the ever more byzantine process of legalizing and permitting cannabis cultivation in Mendocino County, the county is creating a set of zoning “overlay zones.” The zones would be “overlayed” on the existing zoning map, allowing some areas otherwise zoned out of cultivation to opt-in and others to opt-out.

The Board of Supervisors contracted with an engineering and consulting company, Michael Baker International, to help develop the overlays. That company will be holding a serise of community meetings in Covelo, Caspar, Laytonville and Ukiah, for community members to provide input about where they would like to see the lines drawn. Anyone is free to attend. The dates and times are below in the county issued press release:

Mendocino County to Hold Cannabis Overlay Zones Community Meetings
Mendocino County is amending its cannabis regulations to establish two types of overlay zones: areas intended to support continued operations by existing growers (Opt-In Zones), and areas where new commercial cannabis cultivation would be restricted (Opt-Out Zones).
Post Date: 07/20/2018 11:14 AM

Mendocino County has engaged Michael Baker International to amend the County’s cannabis regulations to establish two types of overlay zones: areas with modified cannabis cultivation regulations to allow operators to enjoy more flexible cannabis regulations and development standards (Opt-In Zones), and areas where new commercial cannabis cultivation would be prohibited and existing permitted commercial cultivation would sunset (Opt-Out Zones). The Board of Supervisors has reviewed a framework of regulations related to the overlay zones and directed Michael Baker to meet with community members that could be affected by proposed overlay zones.
Public meetings will be held within the following communities:
Covelo Opt-In Overlay Zone – Thursday, July 26th, 10:00 to Noon
Round Valley Public Library, 23925 Howard St, Covelo, CA 95428
Mitchell Creek Opt-In Overlay Zone – Thursday, July 26th, 5:00 to 7:00 PM
Caspar Community Center, South Room, 15051 Caspar Road, Caspar CA 95420
Laytonville and South Leggett Opt-In Overlay Zones – Friday, July 27th, 10:00 to Noon
Long Valley Garden Club, 375 Harwood Road, Laytonville, CA 95454
Deerwood and Woody Glen Opt-Out Zones – Friday, July 27th, 5:00 to 7:00 PM
County Administration Center, Board Chambers, 501 Low Gap Road, Ukiah, CA 95482
Michael Baker and County staff will discuss the purpose and intent of the overlay zones and the boundaries of the proposed Opt-In Zones and Opt-Out Zones. Community members are encouraged to learn more about these proposed overlay zones and to provide input on both the proposed regulations and the boundaries of the proposed overlay zones. The Board of Supervisors is seeking input from affected community members to help guide their discussions and decisions regarding these proposed regulations.
Overviews of the proposed regulations (Framework documents) and the boundaries of the proposed overlay zones are available for public review at www.mendocinocounty.org/cannabis. Public comments can be submitted electronically in advance of each meeting by emailing [email protected]. For more information regarding the meeting, please contact the Mendocino County Executive Office at (707) 463-4441.