Stockton Planning Commission Meeting - January 14, 2021: Cannabis Permits Approved, New Commissioner Welcomed
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Stockton Planning Commission Meeting - January 14, 2021
The Stockton Planning Commission met on January 14, 2021, from 5:34 PM to 7:08 PM via Webex and in person. The meeting included approval of consent calendar items, a public hearing for a cannabis business, continuances, and welcoming of a new commissioner.
Consent Calendar
- Item 3.1 (Minutes Approval): Approved 7-0 to file minutes from October 22, 2020, and December 10, 2020. Commissioner Davie noted her absence in the August minutes; the clerk confirmed the correction.
- Item 3.2 (Cannabis Business Denial Resolution): This item was pulled from consent for discussion. It involved a resolution memorializing the December 10, 2020, 4-3 vote to deny a cannabis use permit at 6709 Plymouth Road. After clarification from staff that the resolution only reflected the prior vote, the commission voted 5-2 to approve the resolution (Commissioners Garcia and Sanguinetti dissenting).
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the general public comment period.
Discussion Items
- Item 5.1 (Self-Service Carwash at 6011 West Lane): Staff requested and received a continuance to February 11, 2021, to correct items.
- Item 5.2 (Nine-Lot Subdivision at 1845 East 13th Street): Staff requested and received a continuance to February 11, 2021, for similar reasons.
- Item 5.3 (Cannabis Business at 7840 West Lane, Suite F): The applicant, Coastal (represented by Miles Peck), requested a Commission Use Permit, Administrative Use Permit, and a location waiver to allow a retail storefront and delivery-only cannabis business. The location is about 320 feet from three religious facilities (instead of the required 600 feet). Staff (Stephanie O'Casio) recommended denial, citing failure to meet findings due to proximity and potential public health impacts. The applicant emphasized community support, letters of non-opposition from all three churches, a 24-year lease, 100% local hiring, zero compliance issues, and estimated $1.1 million in annual tax revenue. Detective Stryker of Stockton PD provided crime statistics: 39 calls for service at the 7840 address over two years, and 3,419 calls in the broader southeast quadrant. Commission discussion: All seven commissioners expressed support for approval, citing the lack of opposition from churches, the barrier of West Lane (11 lanes), the commercial context, economic benefits, and the applicant's outreach. The motion by Commissioner Sanguinetti to approve the permits and waiver, adopting staff's affirmative findings and reversing the denial findings based on verbal rationale (e.g., path of travel over 1,000 feet, no direct line of sight, church letters), was seconded by Commissioner Davie and passed 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- Approved (7-0): Commission Use Permit, Administrative Use Permit, and location waiver (reducing distance requirement from 600 ft to ~320 ft) for the cannabis business at 7840 West Lane, Suite F. Staff directed to prepare a resolution reflecting the verbal findings.
- Consent Calendar: Item 3.1 approved; Item 3.2 resolution approved 5-2.
- Continuances Granted: Items 5.1 and 5.2 continued to February 11, 2021.
- New Commissioner: Brenda Jones was welcomed as a new Planning Commissioner, replacing outgoing Commissioner Davie (who served eight years).
- Future Meeting: The January 28, 2021, Planning Commission meeting was canceled; the February 11, 2021, meeting will include a change of officers.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Planning Commission meeting of January 14 2021. Happy New Year's. At this time, I would like to ask the city clerk to please take a roll call. Chair Risby. Present. Vice Chair Mallet, present. Commissioner Garcia. Present. Commissioner Mountain. Commissioner Sanginetti. Here. Commissioner Jones. Commissioner Davy. President. Thank you. At this time, I would now like to ask Commissioner Davy, if you could please lead us to the Flagsmond. Are we done in the state of the American? Thank you, Commissioner David. Agenda item number three. Adoption of consent calendar. As per our discussion the other day, item. Item 3.2 was decided on December 10th. And its placement on the consent is simply to ensure that the staff accurately captured that action that was taken on December 10th. Unless someone requests to have them pulled, it will be approved with a single vote that approves the entire consent calendar item 3.1 3.2. Please note the vote count was added to the resolution to ensure there's no confusion that the denial was approved via four three vote with three dissenting commissioners are noted and an approval on consent. And approval of the consent is as the accuracy of the resolution, not a vote on the item itself. So this is to clarify that the resolution is simply to memorialize the events that took place and December 10th meeting for that agenda item. There were four denial and three for, and the motion was denied. And this is barely basically putting it and uh memoralizing that to say that what the vote was. So with that said, I would like to have a motion for the approval of the consent calendar. Can you repeat that last sentence? Have a motion to what? For the consent calendar. Yes. Okay, maybe I should repeat it again. Could I have a motion for the approval of the consent agenda item 3.1 and 3.2? Which is I guess I I I Mr. Chair, I have one question, I guess, before I would make a motion. I have no problem making a motion for 3.1, which are the minutes of our meetings of October 22nd and December 10th. 3.2. I thought, you know, we denied that on a 4-3 vote, and we recommended some language for the denial to come back in the findings in that. And I thought, like we did with the previous denial, those findings would come back to us, and then we would vote on those findings again as a separate item. To my understanding, this is just to make sure that the resolution uh basically explains what the vote was on that day. Uh I can uh refer to our director if you want to add or Lori. The action was taken by the commission on December 10th. When you put those findings on the record verbally, that was fine. That was enough to take the action. Right now, all you're doing is is you know, I use the generic term housekeeping. It's coming back to make sure that staff capture accurately what you said. If they did, then it's okay for you just to vote on it via consent.
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