The Lake County Planning Commission on Nov. 13 approved a major use permit for Wellness Ranch LLC (applicant Luis Martinez) to consolidate and expand commercial cannabis cultivation and processing at 6751 Ridge Road in Donovan Valley (APN 007‑045‑16).

County staff presented the proposal and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 23‑19). Senior planner Mary Clabaughn said the project would combine existing minor use permits and expand canopy to a total of roughly 107,120 square feet of outdoor commercial canopy and 8,820 square feet of indoor canopy, plus new construction that includes a 2,500‑square‑foot barn and a 2,500‑square‑foot ADA‑compliant processing facility. The parcel is approximately 106.47 acres and staff reported that the revised scope reduces outdoor canopy by about one acre while increasing indoor canopy in response to neighbor concerns.

Clabaughn summarized environmental review and mitigation measures, tribal notification under AB‑52 (comments received from Habematul Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe and Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation; both deferred to Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians), and agency comments including Lakeport Fire Protection District revisions requiring emergency access improvements. Staff recommended adopting IS 23‑19 and approving Major Use Permit PL2559/UP2308 with the findings and conditions in the staff report.

Applicant consultant Richard Knoll and applicant Luis Martinez presented the site plan, described additional vegetative buffers to screen adjacent residences and said the operation had a record of compliance under earlier minor permits. Knoll highlighted design revisions made after neighbor meetings to preserve oak groves and reduce outdoor canopy.

Neighbors and commissioners raised several issues during public comment and Q&A: road access and safety on Ridge Road and Highland Springs Road (some sections are narrow and maintained by property owners), water‑use and hydrology questions about whether project wells are hydraulically connected to nearby creeks (the hydrology report concluded no likely connection but noted data limitations), and protections for oak trees and wetland setbacks. Long‑time neighbor Tom Lasik described the subdivision’s private roads with public access easements and urged conditions to preserve oaks and avoid impermeable surfaces near wetlands; he said the applicant had made verbal agreements to protect trees and neighbors asked that common best practices be included in permit conditions where possible.

Staff clarified the county cannot enforce private third‑party agreements between neighbors but that many suggested practices are covered under the county grading ordinance and Article 27 permit conditions. After discussion, Commissioner (Speaker 7) moved to adopt the mitigated negative declaration (IS 23‑19), the motion passed unanimously. The commission then moved and approved the major use permit (PL2559/UP2308) based on the findings and conditions in the staff report. The commission reminded the public that the zoning ordinance provides a seven‑calendar‑day appeal period to the Board of Supervisors.

The approval is conditioned on the mitigation measures and conditions listed in the staff report; those conditions include requirements drawn from county codes for setbacks from waterways, oak protection and construction standards, and a requirement to remove temporary processing containers and construct a permanent processing facility during the project’s second stage. Several commissioners requested that county Public Works review narrow or sliding sections of Highland Springs Road because of cumulative traffic and safety concerns, which staff noted is under the Department of Public Works purview.