NEVADA CITY, Calif. October 24, 2018 – The Nevada County Board of Supervisors (BOS) unanimously approved a resolution establishing a “pre-application conditional process for temporary local authorization in response to State inquiries regarding cannabis cultivation for State temporary licenses.” The English translation of this mouthful: “It allows growers to check a box on their application to the state.”
Interim solution while state and county work on permanent regulations
Cannabis regulations at the state and county level remain in flux. The update to the interim plan was vetted with the State, according to CDA Director Sean Powers who presented this item to the BOS. All temporary state licenses expire on December 31, 2018 and it is uncertain when or if the State will issue permanent annual licenses.
At the request of Supervisor Hall, the resolution was amended to state “the temporary license will expire concurrently with the State license.”
Amendment to draft ordinance streamlines local permitting process
The second item on the Supervisors’ agenda regarding cannabis cultivation pertained to the way permits are being processed. At this time, the draft ordinance requires a full Use Permit for cultivation sites over 2,500 sq ft up to 10,000 sq ft. Smaller sites, under 2,500 sq ft, are handled via an Administrative Development Permit (ADP). The proposed change removes the use permit requirement and replaces it with the simpler (ADP) – the main difference being that no public hearing needs to be held on each application.
Discussion ensued among Supervisors about potentially retaining the use permit process and the required notifications to neighbors, the public hearings and possible appeals. Members of the public pointed to privacy issues by listing the addresses of the permitted applicants.
In the end, the BOS approved the change by a 4-1 vote with Miller voting No.