The Board of Supervisors will be considering the approval of licenses for a proposed cannabis retail outlet in El Cerrito. The establishment is located near a private school, which means that a variance will need to be granted by the board to ensure compliance with Riverside County regulations.
Back in May, the Planning Commission was unable to reach a decision on whether to recommend the approval of the conditional use permit and development agreement for Derek Catalano’s Common Sense dispensary. The proposed location of the dispensary is 19700 Temescal Canyon Road.
The project has been in progress since 2019 and has already undergone a board hearing in September 2021 following the rejection by the Planning Commission. During that hearing, the board expressed concerns about parking and directed Catalano to reevaluate the proposed location and reapply.
After securing double the required parking spaces, Catalano reapplied, leading to the tie vote in the Planning Commission and the upcoming board hearing as his final step in the approval process.
One of the objections raised by the Planning Commission members was the dispensary’s proximity to Olive Branch Christian Academy at 702 El Cerrito Road. According to county Ordinance No. 348, marijuana dispensaries must be at least 1,000 feet away from any K-12 school. However, the proposed site is only 990 feet from Olive Branch Christian.
Catalano is requesting a variance to waive the 1,000-foot rule, and the Department of Planning staff is recommending that the board grant the 10-foot variance at their discretion.
If the proposal receives a majority vote in favor from the board, the outlet will operate on a half-acre lot within an existing building. It will have a reception area, waiting space, office space, and a retail sales desk. The proposed hours of operation are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, with no mobile deliveries from the site.
The conditional use permit and development agreement, which is valid for 10 years, require Common Sense to make a first-year public benefits payment to the county of $26,000. Additionally, an annual payment of $38,000 will be owed, with a 5% increase each year. The applicant has also expressed willingness to make voluntary contributions of $200,000 annually to the El Cerrito Road Fund, as per the Transportation & Land Management Agency.
These public benefit payments aim to offset the county’s costs of providing additional law enforcement, street maintenance, and other services in the vicinity of the site.
Since 2020, the board has already granted 24 conditional use permits for cannabis businesses in unincorporated communities, and seven of them are currently operating. These businesses are located in Bermuda Dunes, Coronita, East Hemet, Green Acres, Highgrove, Lakeland Village, Mead Valley, Temescal Valley, Thousand Palms, and Winchester.
Under Ordinance No. 348, which incorporates the county’s Marijuana Comprehensive Regulatory Framework of 2018, prospective businesses must follow a series of steps to be eligible for permits. These steps include safety and health safeguards as part of the regulatory requirements.
According to an ordinance approved by the board in March, operators must submit applications to the California Department of Cannabis Control within 60 days of obtaining a conditional use permit from the county to avoid potential permit revocation. However, there is no specific deadline for the state to process and approve or deny an application, a process that can take nearly a year, as acknowledged by TLMA officials.
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