The Future of Bennett Valley is on the line
On September 17th, the Planning Commission will vote on key parts of the Cannabis Ordinance that could open the floodgates to large-scale commercial marijuana grows just 100 feet from your property line.
If your home is one of ~15,000 located on a parcel zoned Ag or RRD, a large commercial cannabis operation could open just 100 feet from your property line, bringing with it the odors, noise, dust and new daily truck traffic, among many other nuisances and health dangers.
We filled the room on August 7—and it made a difference. But this next meeting is even more critical. We must show up again—and stronger.
Here’s what’s at stake:
100-foot setbacks: Massive commercial cannabis sites allowed shockingly close to homes, bringing odors, noise, traffic, and health risks, and reduced property values
Crop swaps: Vineyards could turn into pot farms overnight—no notice, no input by neighbors!
100+ Events: Cannabis parties and retail sales in our peaceful valley? That’s what’s on the table.
The Final Environmental Impact Report hides rather than discloses the environmental harms of cannabis cultivation. Urge the commissioners to reject it.
Other counties protect their rural residents:
Marin & Napa: Both ban outdoor commercial cannabis, full stop.
Yolo & Santa Barbara: Require 1,000–1,500 ft setbacks (and even those are being litigated)
Sonoma? Proposes just 100 feet setbacks, and wants to allow events, which are banned everywhere else in California.
“Controlled agriculture” is their newly coined term for the proposed zoning—a change in name only, which ignores State laws and regulations. No other counties use this term
🚨 Don’t let Bennett Valley be the exception.
📍 Show up at the Supervisor’s Auditorium on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 1PM.
📣 Let your presence say loud and clear: We deserve the same protections as our neighboring Bay Area counties.
Let’s pack the room. Again.
And protect this place we call home.
📍Sonoma County Planning Commission Hearing:
· Sonoma County Administration Building
Board of Supervisors Meeting Room 102-A
575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa
Thursday, September 17, 1:00
Good Backgrounder:
Bennett Valley Community Association Letter to the County
