GONZALES — Gonzales City Council voted to move forward with expanding the Agricultural Industrial Business Park to include Gonzales River Road and allow for the cultivation and manufacturing of medical marijuana within that area.
“This row of property particles (Gonzales River Road businesses) is not located within the Agricultural Industrial Park as we defined it,” said Special Projects Director Mark Hartunian. “What that led to was Mr. (Kasey) Maconachy making a presentation with a memorandum requesting that the council consider expanding the boundaries of the Agricultural Industrial Park.”
The addition to the Agricultural Business Park includes 13 parcels. According to Hartunian, if there is competition for regulatory permits within the city, they would have to fill out a conditional use permit to make their property eligible to pursue a regulatory permit.
Salinas Valley Municipal Solutions in Lot 45 is asking the council to expand the boundaries so that property can be within the designated area and give them the ability to pursue a conditional use permit. If successful, then they would take the steps for a regulatory permit for the manufacturing and cultivation of medical marijuana.
The next steps in extending the Agricultural Industrial Business Park is to hold public hearings, during which support or opposition could step forward. Then the item would continue to the Planning Commission and come back to the City Council for further action.
