LAKEPORT — The Lake County Planning Commission reinforced the moratorium against opening new medical marijuana dispensaries as it denied an administrative appeal Thursday during its meeting with no audience in attendance.
Egide Family Limited Partnership filed an appeal in January but didn”t attend the public hearing to discuss the medical marijuana dispensary it opened during the moratorium.
Commissioners voted 4-0 to deny the appeal. Commissioner Bob Malley was absent.
Chairwoman Clelia Baur said she went to the site at 3387 E. Highway 20 in Nice, which seemed cleaned up.
“I recognize the need for medical marijuana,” Baur said. “This seems pretty open and shut. This is happening outside the moratorium that”s set.”
The Lake County Board of Supervisors imposed a 45-day moratorium on opening new medical marijuana dispensaries in September and extended it in October while county staff develops an ordinance to regulate them.
The commission addressed a few other issues at its meeting that started 9 a.m. in the County Courthouse in Lakeport.
About 20 community members later came to the meeting to discuss zoning and planning issues in the Draft Middletown Area Plan.
The commission voted 4-0 to have staff prepare the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Middletown Area Plan. Commissioners also agreed to some of the changes property owners requested during the meeting.
Planning staff will bring the final EIR back before the commission along with remaining planning issues at 10 a.m. May 13 in the Board of Supervisors Chambers.
Community members can still bring zoning and planning concerns to the attention of planning staff by contacting the Community Development Department at 263-2221 in the County Courthouse.
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
