ZF #2023-041: Consider a request for a Cannabis Use Permit to allow issuance of a cannabis cultivation license for up to two acres of canopy for Yolo Gardens and determine the project falls within the scope of the previously certified Yolo County Cannabis Land Use Ordinance Environmental Impact Report and no further environmental review is required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The project is located on a ±30.7-acre agriculturally zoned parcel at 36459 County Road 21, approximately 1.5 miles west of the City of Woodland (APN: 025-130-027). (Applicant: Jack Brown/Owner: Golden State Ranch Properties, LLC) (Planner: Tracy Gonzalez)

The proposed Cannabis Use Permit, if approved, will contain an extensive set of conditions that will regulate the use of the property to conduct cannabis cultivation activities. The allowance of up to two acres of cannabis canopy for Yolo Gardens will provide continued business opportunity for the operator to continue to compete in the regulated cannabis industry. The project, as conditioned, is in compliance with the Countywide General Plan, Cannabis Land Use Ordinance, and Yolo County Code.

SUMMARY
The project site is located on a 30.7-acre agriculturally zoned parcel that is approximately 1.5 miles west of the City of Woodland. Yolo Gardens has been cultivating up to one acre of cannabis annually under validly issued county and state licenses since 2018. Cannabis related uses are clustered within a three-acre footprint on the eastern portion of the project site within a previously disturbed area. The remaining 27.7 acres are generally flat with a gentle slope and not intended for cannabis uses. The parcel was previously planted in a walnut orchard, which has recently been removed to be planted in tomatoes. Structures not used for cannabis uses include a 2,214-SF residence occupied by the applicant and a 492-SF shed. The property is served by an existing private well and a septic system. Access to the property is via an existing gravel driveway off CR 21 along the northern boundary of the project site which extends along the eastern parcel boundary. The surrounding properties are zoned A-N and are generally in agricultural production.

Yolo Gardens is seeking to obtain a cannabis cultivation license for up to two acres of cannabis cultivation canopy, which would provide continued business opportunity for the operator. On-site cannabis related structures are located along the eastern portion of the property and include a 4,000-SF processing facility for storage, trimming, drying, and packaging, eight 300-SF shipping containers for general agricultural storage, one 300-SF pesticide/chemical storage container, ten hoop houses (approximately 18,000-SF) for outdoor cultivation, and three 2,400-SF hoop houses for immature plants (vegetation). The 20,000-SF outdoor cultivation area is not currently in use and is surrounded by a 6-foot-tall perimeter fence with a green privacy screen and barbed wire on top, which would encompass the additional one acre of cannabis canopy. Yolo Gardens does not propose any new construction, except for the installation of an ADA-compliant restroom with employee wash stations within the existing processing building. Cannabis waste would be composted on-site and/or disposed of in compliance with county and state regulations. As required by the CLUO, the applicant has prepared a security plan for the project site. The operation will maintain adequate utilities, access roads, drainage, and sanitation infrastructure in line with county and state regulations, standards, and specifications. All exterior lighting is required to be full cut-off, shielded, and downward facing to prevent spill over onto other properties, structures, or the night sky.

Yolo Gardens typically employs four full-time employees and four seasonal farm laborers and does not anticipate the addition of any new employees following the proposed expansion. Since the number of employees would remain the same, Yolo Gardens does not anticipate the operation will generate additional truck trips beyond the eight to ten daily trips generated during peak season, up to one daily trip during off-season, one to three weekly trips for materials/supplies, and three to five product shipments/distributor pickups per year.

ANALYSIS

The proposed project has been reviewed for consistency with the Countywide General Plan and the County Zoning Regulations, including the Cannabis Land Use Ordinance (CLUO). The proposal is also consistent with the CLUO Environmental Impact Report, and no further environmental review is required under the California Environmental Quality Act. As explained below, the project, as conditioned, is consistent with all applicable plans, policies, and regulations.

General Plan and Zoning Consistency
The project, as conditioned, is consistent with the Countywide General Plan. The requested use is proposed on property designated as Agriculture (AG) in the Countywide General Plan. Cannabis cultivation, which includes activities involving the planting, growing, harvesting, drying, during, grading, storing, and trimming of cannabis grown on-site, are called out as agricultural activities under the AG land use designation (Policy LU-1.1, and Table LU-4). Further, Policy AG-3.22 reads:
 

The project furthers policies in the Countywide General Plan that seek to promote a healthy and competitive farm economy to expand the county’s agricultural base, including Policy AG-3.2, which encourages processing on agricultural land subject to appropriate design review and development standards, and Policy AG-3.12 that promotes marketplace-initiated conversion from lower to higher value-added crops and agricultural commodities. The project, when considered as a component of the county’s cannabis industry as a whole, furthers Policy AG-5.1 which promotes markets for locally and regionally grown and/or prepared food and other products and services.

The subject property is zoned Agricultural Intensive (A-N). Pursuant to Article 3, of Chapter 2, of Title 8 of the Yolo County Code, cannabis cultivation and processing are allowed in the A-N zone upon issuance of a Cannabis Use Permit. The project meets the development requirements and setbacks prescribed for the A-N zone.

As part of the application review process, staff conducted a thorough review of the project against the applicable provisions of the CLUO. The project, as conditioned, is determined to be in compliance with the CLUO. The applicable provisions of the CLUO are included as conditions of approval (Attachment E). The operators are required to submit an annual report on July 1 of each year starting the first July in the year after permit issuance documenting compliance with the Cannabis Use Permit requirements.

Project Design and Operation
As described above, the project involves the expansion of the cannabis cultivation canopy from one acre to two acres within an existing 20,000-SF outdoor cultivation area. No new structures are proposed as part of the project, except for the construction of an ADA-compliant restroom with an employee wash station. The project site is served by PG&E and the project is conditioned to achieve Valley Clean Energy ultra-green or equivalent standard (100 percent renewable and 100 percent carbon-free) within six months of project approval. The project is also conditioned to require the use of LED lighting or equivalent or more efficient technology. Indoor lighting is required to be fully controlled so that minimal or no light escapes. Outdoor lighting is required to be full cut-off, shielded, and downward facing so it does not spill over onto other properties, structures, or the night sky.

The CLUO addresses odor impacts through limiting the location of cannabis uses, and establishing buffers for outdoor cannabis uses, odor control requirements, and enforcement procedures. However, while these measures may minimize the likelihood of nuisance odors, the potential for odors to occur remains and was considered a significant and unavoidable impact in the CLUO EIR. The applicant submitted an odor control plan that describes the odor emitting activities and the administrative and engineering controls to reduce and control odors to the greatest extent possible, such as ensuring the carbon filters inside the processing building are maintained in good working order per manufacturer specifications. If odor nuisances are verified pursuant to the enforcement procedure set forth in the CLUO, the operator will evaluate and implement additional odor controls for the outdoor operations and the Odor Control Plan will be revised as necessary. Odor control systems and management practices may include active controls such as odor neutralizers, as well as passive controls such as additional vegetative barriers, reassignment of any outdoor operations to mixed light structures (may require amendment or modification of use permit), different plant strains, or relocation of the outdoor grow areas.

The odor control plan identified annual prevailing winds from the north-northwest and south-southeast of the project site, parallel with the mountain range. There are approximately three residential buildings to the southeast and two residential buildings to the northwest that meet the criteria for sensitive land uses that are within 2,000 feet and downwind of the project site. However, two of the residential buildings to the southeast are located on another property with a cannabis cultivation operation (Walnut Oaks), and the other residential buildings are located on property with other agricultural operations.

The site is served by a septic system, as well as a private well and numerous water storage tanks for irrigation. The applicant estimates that approximately 1,000,000 gallons (or approximately 3.07 acre-feet) of water will be used per year. The CLUO EIR analyzed groundwater that would be used for cannabis crops and compared that to average groundwater use for other non-cannabis crops. The analysis demonstrated that the amount of groundwater used for cannabis activities under each of the CEQA Alternatives would be similar to the amount used for other crops likely to be grown on the property in the absence of contemplated cannabis uses. The high end of the analysis estimated the cumulative use of all cannabis operations in the County could reach 424-acre feet per year, which equates to approximately the average groundwater used by an orchard of about 131 acres.

Site Setting

The project site is located in an agriculturally zoned area approximately 1.5 miles west of the City of Woodland. The cannabis activities currently occupy approximately three acres of the site, and the remaining 27.7 acres are used for non-cannabis activities. The project site was previously planted with a mature walnut orchard which was recently removed to address agricultural pest concerns and to facilitate the planting of tomatoes. The project site is generally flat with a gentle slope that drains to the east, and surrounding land uses are generally agricultural: almond orchard to the north and west, tomato field to the east, and a cannabis cultivation field (Walnut Oaks) to the south.

The cultivation area is located on the eastern portion of the property and the proposed expansion area will be located west of the existing footprint containing the hoop houses, storage containers, and existing outdoor cultivation area within a six-foot-tall perimeter fence with green privacy screening. The cultivation area also includes screening via scattered walnut trees around the perimeter fencing, and is setback ±420 FT from CR 21 to the north, and 0.4 miles from CR 96 to the west.

The operator has prepared a security plan and will implement measures to secure the property, such as security cameras, motion detectors, alarms, and administrative controls. The operator also is required to provide property owners within 1,000 feet of the property line with an operable method of communication with a local or on-site responsible party having prompt access to the site, operations, and activities. This requirement facilitates communication between neighbors related to conditions at the site and operation of the activities.

Buffers and Setbacks

All existing structures used for cannabis activities, including the existing 4,000-SF processing facility, eight 300-SF shipping containers for general storage, and one 320-SF pesticide/chemical storage container, meet the setback requirements for the A-N zone. No additional structures are proposed as part of the application and the existing outdoor cultivation area is setback approximately 420 FT from the northern property line adjacent to the public right-of-way (CR 21). Screening is provided via a six-foot-tall perimeter fence with green privacy slats, as well as mature walnut trees along the fencing.

The project does not meet the buffer requirements from one identified sensitive land use as set forth in the CLUO. For existing licensees outside the Capay Valley, the required buffer requirement for outdoor cannabis uses from offsite individual legal residences in non-residential zones is 600 feet, measured from the closest point of any outdoor area containing cannabis. The CLUO allows existing licensees to request buffer exceptions if they cannot meet required buffer distances from cannabis uses to off-site CLUO sensitive land uses. Buffer exceptions are reductions of more than ten percent of the required buffer distances from CLUO sensitive land uses.

The nearest agricultural homesite (to the southwest) is approximately 530 feet from the proposed outdoor cultivation area, and the nearest homesites on residentially-zoned land within unincorporated Yolo County (Willow Oak) are approximately 0.4-miles to the east. Yolo Gardens is requesting a buffer exception to allow outdoor cannabis cultivation within 530 FT of a residence to the southwest in the Agricultural Intensive (A-N) zone, an approximately 12% reduction of the 600 FT buffer requirement. The affected property owner has provided a statement that they do not object to the reduced buffer request. The statement can be found in Attachment F of the staff report materials. Approval of the buffer exception will not exacerbate or create new compatibility issues with surrounding agricultural crops or agricultural uses. The applicable provisions of the CLUO are included as conditions of approval.

It should be noted that there is one additional agricultural homesite approximately 385 feet south of the proposed outdoor cultivation area on an adjacent cannabis cultivation site (Walnut Oaks, APN 025-130-084). Although the Use Permit application for Walnut Oaks is on hold and the operator did not seek license renewal in 2025, staff does not consider the residence to be a sensitive land use within the required 600-foot buffer. When the Yolo Gardens cannabis use permit application was deemed complete, Walnut Oaks was an active/licensed cannabis operation. In order to establish parity between operators, staff does not consider homesites on cannabis operations as sensitive land uses for purposes of buffer compliance.  

Pursuant to Policy CO-2.22 of the Yolo County General Plan, and as codified in the CLUO and included in the Conditions of Approval, no new development requiring a building permit, including grading activities, shall be located within 100-feet of waterbodies or watercourses. The project is in compliance with this requirement as the proposed project is more than 100 feet away from the nearest waterbody or watercourse (Moore Canal) to the south.

Compliance History
The Department of Community Services, Cannabis Unit, maintains compliance and complaint history dating back to 2019 when the cannabis program moved from the Agriculture Department to the Department of Community Services. The operator has not received a Notice of Violation from the Cannabis Unit. A Courtesy Notice was issued by the Building Division in March 2019 regarding the following observations: electrical added to hoop houses without permit; propane added to hoop houses without permit; and electrical added to containers with permit. The electrical components and propane were satisfactorily removed from the hoop houses and the containers as verified by Building Division staff in February 2022. Five complaints (dated 5/14/2019, 5/15/2019, 5/31/2019, 6/1/2019, and 10/17/2019) regarding odor and light pollution were lodged against this operation with the Cannabis Unit per records maintained by the Department of Community Services. Cannabis Unit staff were unable to validate the complaints received during their two-to-three-week investigations, which resulted in the cases being closed.

Staff coordinated with the County Department of Financial Services to produce a history of cannabis and property tax payments for the site, which verified that Yolo Gardens and the property owner are up to date on their property taxes and cannabis taxes.

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) REVIEW
The Cannabis Land Use Ordinance Environmental Impact Report (CLUO EIR) was prepared as a programmatic EIR for adoption of the CLUO and to support streamlined review of individual permit applications pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15168, 15162, and 15183. If the County finds that an individual project is within the scope of the CLUO EIR, its environmental impacts are adequately addressed in the CLUO EIR, and applicable mitigation measures are applied to the project, then no further environmental review is required. Staff prepared a project-specific CLUO Program EIR Checklist / Project Initial Study (Attachment C) that examines the conclusions reached in the CLUO EIR for each relevant CEQA impact category identified in the CLUO EIR and Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines. Staff determined that the proposed project activities are within the scope of the CLUO EIR, and that no additional environmental review is required.

SUMMARY OF PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE
A Request for Comments was distributed to reviewing agencies on April 26, 2024. Comments received from reviewing agencies were incorporated into the Conditions of Approval (Attachment E) where applicable. A Courtesy Notice was also distributed on April 26, 2024, to the Planning Division’s interested parties list and mailed to property owners within 1,000 feet of the property boundary of the subject parcel. The Courtesy Notice summarized the existing and proposed operations as provided in the application materials. Staff received eleven responses from members of the public expressing concerns related to odor, health and safety, increased traffic and vehicle speed, property values, overgrown weeds onsite creating a potential fire hazard, pest issues (ground squirrels) caused by the unmaintained walnut orchard onsite (recently removed), and the general condition of the existing onsite dwelling (Attachment G).
 

The Yolo County Agriculture Department (Ag Department) responded with concerns (dated 5/21/2024; see Attachment G) regarding multiple complaints their office received about pest pressure and ground squirrel damage to adjacent agricultural properties. The Ag Department conducted a visual assessment of the site and determined that weed growth, nut mummies, and unmaintained and dead trees were harboring pests, such as ground squirrels, Navel Orangeworm, and Walnut Husk Fly. Yolo Gardens responded to the Ag Departments’ nuisance abatement letter by removing the walnut orchard with the intent to prepare the land to be farmed in tomatoes. Only a few scattered trees around the perimeter of the cultivation area for screening purposes are remaining. Staff with the Ag Department confirmed that the tree debris has been chipped and removed from the site and that the pest nuisance issue has been resolved. The site has also been disked to address the overgrown weed nuisance issues.

The Ag Department raised a minor concern regarding potential pesticide drift, but did not raise any compatibility issues since an existing cannabis operation is located to the south (Walnut Oaks), and the parcel immediately east of the site is farmed in row crops. The Ag Department acknowledged that the applicant will be required to maintain an Operator ID for pesticide use issued by the Agricultural Commissioner prior to any application of pesticides, including prior to utilizing Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 25(b) products. Yolo Gardens would also be responsible for all employees who apply pesticides, requiring that employees must hold a current Private Application Certificate (PAC) or Qualified Applicator License (QAL), follow all applicable pesticide laws and regulations, and all pesticide use must be reported to the Agriculture Department by the 10th of the following month that the application took place. There were no concerns regarding fencing or screening of the project site.

The project site does not fall within the comment area of a Yolo County Citizens Advisory Committee.

A public hearing notice was mailed to property owners within 1,000 feet on October 31, 2025, and published in the Daily Democrat on November 2, 2025.

Staff consulted with the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, Department of Financial Services, Building Division, Public Works Division, Environmental Health Division, various agencies and interested parties, and has received input from the Office of County Counsel.

Any person who is dissatisfied with the decisions of this Planning Commission may appeal to the Board of Supervisors by filing a notice of appeal with the Clerk of the Board within fifteen (15) days from the date of the action. A Planning Commission Appeal Form and appeal fee immediately payable to “County of Yolo” must be submitted at the time of filing. The Board of Supervisors may sustain, modify or overrule this decision. The Planning Commission Appeal Form can be accessed at the following link: https://www.yolocounty.org/government/board-of-supervisors/clerk-of-the-board/planning-commission-appeal