As more states embrace legal cannabis, the number of people working in the legal weed business is growing rapidly. Wochit, Wochit
The city of Coachella on Wednesday will consider approving a 4,080-square-foot cannabis “microbusiness” and coffee shop in downtown Coachella — directly across the street from Veterans Memorial Park and other areas where children play, go to school and do homework.
The vote is technically a contingency vote, according to a staff report prepared ahead of Wednesday’s meeting. Because of neighborhood opposition to the location at 791 Orchard St., the applicant, Rootz Coachella Inc., is seeking an alternative site. Though the company is registered with the state as Rootz, the shop itself will be known as Roots, according to the plan submitted to the city.
The proposed location on Orchard Street is directly across from the park, a block from the Coachella library and two blocks from Palm View Elementary School.
More: Coachella council delays talk on proposed weed dispensary next to City Hall
The staff report says that the applicant — listed on an April 2018 planning commission application as John Scott Russo — has secured an agreement for an alternate site at a yet-to-be-constructed commercial building at Avenue 48 and Grapefruit Boulevard.
If the applicant is unable to secure approvals for the Avenue 48 site, the approval of the conditional use permit for the Orchard Street location would allow the business to continue with those plans despite neighborhood opposition.
It’s unclear how the council will vote, but the project comes as the city recently rolled out the red carpet for the growing cannabis industry. The city on Monday kicked off its two-day SoCal Cannabis Summit, which brings high-profile state and local officials to learn about Coachella’s effort in courting cannabis investment, as well as to hear about other industry trends.
Among speakers at the event, held at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, are California Cannabis Czar Lori Ajax, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin and former NFL star Kyle Turley. The event is hosted by the city of Coachella in partnership with the Coachella Valley Cannabis Alliance Network, a regional industry trade group.
The Coachella City Council is overseeing growth of the cannabis industry in the city as it tries to economically develop its downtown and diversify its tax base. Coachella recently increased the number of dispensaries it will permit downtown and also approved new retail zones in other parts of the city, particularly in the Dillon Road area near Interstate 10. It also is forming a commission to consider its cannabis tax structure.
Mayor Steven Hernandez said in an interview that the while the current council is supportive of seeing the cannabis industry flourish in Coachella, members are considering whether they want to see businesses near “sensitive” areas where children gather.
“Do we want them? Yes,” he said. “I think the question is, where do we want them?”
Council member Megan Beaman Jacinto also raised those questions after hearing about the neighborhood opposition. “We received a fair amount of feedback of the location of the dispensary, which is very important and great feedback,” she said.
The city on Wednesday will separately consider changing the boundaries of the zones permitting cannabis business to exclude Orchard Street and Vine Aveneu, which run along Veterans Memorial Park. Under the proposed maps, the proposed Roots location would have been excluded, but it would be grandfathered in and unaffected by the proposed rezoning because it has been involved in city’s approval process before the zoning was put in place.
Coachella resident Danny Guitierrez said in an April email that the proposed Roots location on Orchard Street would be “detrimental to young children and youths.” Their exposure to cannabis businesses could influence them to become users later. In an email on Monday, he said he still remained opposed to its Orchard Street location and he’s hopeful the city will move it away from that area.
Rootz Coachella Inc. has at least four partners involved in the project, including Roger Hernandez, who said Monday in an interview the final location still remains unclear. Russo, the other partner in the venture and original applicant, did not respond to a voicemail, text message and email seeking comment.
Ricardo Lopez covers the eastern Coachella Valley cities of Indio and Coachella. Reach him at Ricardo.Lopez@DesertSun.com or 760-778-4637.
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