Board to Consider Cannabis Business North Of Lake Elsinore

RIVERSIDE, CA - The Board of Supervisors is slated Tuesday to decide whether to grant permits for the establishment of a cannabis store just northwest of Lake Elsinore, in what would be only the third such enterprise authorized to operate in unincorporated areas of Riverside County.

Empire Connect is seeking approval of a conditional use permit and a development agreement with the county to set up shop near the intersection of Macy Street and Grand Avenue, in the community of Lakeland Village.

The other two cannabis stores were approved by the board last year in Highgrove.

The county Planning Commission has signed off on Empire Connect's proposal to operate a 4,500-square-foot distribution outlet between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily.

But there has already been a petition submitted by concerned residents opposing Empire Connect's request. Some of the signers are expected to address the board during Tuesday's hearing, which is expected to last about two hours.

The neighboring city of Lake Elsinore has spaces specifically zoned for prospective cannabis operations, confined to light industrial areas.

The applicant has promised to make improvements to the one-acre site where the building is located, adding parking spaces and removing blight, according to the county Transportation & Land Management Agency. A mobile marijuana delivery service would be a component of the operation, as well

There are residences within a quarter-mile of where the store would be situated.

Conditional use permits and development agreements previously approved by the board were for marijuana sales operations within a business district adjacent to Interstate 10.

"The existing site has already been utilized for ongoing retail and commercial uses," according to a TLMA statement posted to the board's agenda. "The proposed ... cannabis retail store would provide community services and job opportunities within the surrounding community."

Opponents to the other outlets approved by the board have cited potential increases in crime, particularly robberies, and undesirable clients entering the community to transact business as major concerns.

The county's 2018 Marijuana Comprehensive Regulatory Framework, codified under Ordinance No. 348, provides for the steps that prospective businesses must take to be eligible for permits. Safety and health safeguards are part of the regulatory stipulations.

The county stands to collect about $235,000 up front from Empire Connect if the project is approved, covering the cost of business permits and "public benefits payments" that are intended to cover additional law enforcement and other public safety demands that might arise from the store's operations.

An ongoing public benefit payment totaling $100,500 annually would also be required.

— City News Service