SALINAS — Arguing for opening a proposed outdoor cannabis pilot program to as many qualified “heritage” growers as possible, the county Planning Commission on Wednesday called for sweeping revisions to draft regulations underpinning the program.
Led by commissioners Martha Diehl and Keith Vandevere, the commission unanimously directed staff to return on May 29 with a series of changes to the draft rules. Included among those would be a reduction or elimination of a proposed 1,000-foot setback from neighboring homes and other buildings such as schools and day cares, and eliminating a 10-acre minimum lot size in favor of a sliding scale allowing less cultivation on smaller lots. It also opposes language in the draft rules for “aerial surveillance” in the rural outdoor grow areas and backing consideration of a local residency requirement.
