The Cathedral City Planning Commission and City Council are considering more stringent guidelines for odor control by cannabis businesses.
Proposed revisions to the city’s ordinance on the cannabis trade include:
“Mandatory odor control plans for all cannabis businesses with performance-based standards, enhanced enforcement provisions that provide clear corrective action processes (and) updated zoning requirements including new setback requirements from the Resort Residential zone,” according to a July 17 city statement.
The law revisions include “the addition of an odor control plan as a condition of approval for a cannabis conditional use permit and applying this requirement retroactively to existing cannabis businesses through the annual renewal of a cannabis license,” according to the draft ordinance. Officials are also considering “the deletion of cannabis cultivation as a conditional use within the planned community commercial zoning district, the addition of a 300 foot setback from any cultivation, manufacturing and distribution site to a property zoned resort residential, and the modification of the public nuisance regulations to establish a process for the enforcement of cannabis odor.”
Current fines for cannabis nuisance odors are $100 for a first violation, $250 for a second offense and $500 for a third or subsequent violation within a 12-month period, according to memo by Andrew Firestine, the city’s director of community and economic development. The proposed ordinance changes would allow the City Council to set a higher administrative fine.
“A resolution setting administrative fine amounts is expected to be presented to the City Council concurrent with the ordinance,” according to the memo.
The draft ordinance and supporting documents are available on the city’s website, where officials encouraged the public to review the materials and submit comments to Code Compliance Officer Talen Weinman at tweinman@cathedralcity.gov.
Tentatively scheduled public hearings on the proposed cannabis ordinance revisions include the Planning Commission on Aug. 20 followed by the City Council on Sept. 24.
