Bennett Valley Citizens for Safe Development
Petition to Preserve and Protect Bennett Valley - 2022
To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
From: Residents of Bennett Valley, in unincorporated Sonoma County
The undersigned residents of Bennett Valley believe that the County-approved Bennett Valley Area Plan (BVAP) is being violated by allowing any commercial cannabis operations within the Plan area. In addition to State of California environmental regulations, State of California water resource guidelines, and the County’s responsibility to provide adequate police protection and safe roads, most major policies of the Bennett Valley Area Plan are not being followed if the county issues permits for commercial cannabis operations, including cultivation, processing, or sales in the BVAP area.
The BVAP was developed in 1979 to retain the rural character of Bennett Valley. The process included a residents’ advisory group, public hearings, research, a full environmental impact report, and input of the Board and local residents. The BVAP recognizes the limited road capacity and access to the area, the open space and building design considerations, the residential and rural character, and the minimum size parcel requirements to protect the area from over-development and commercialization. The elements of the adopted plan have been applied and enforced over many decades. Ignoring the tenets of the plan for any reason is a clear violation.
Specific to the BVAP, we point our Supervisors to Article 1 which states “Commercial development is not considered appropriate to the rural character of Bennett Valley.” Cannabis cultivation is defined as “Commercial” activity under both State of California law and as defined in Sonoma County’s Cannabis ordinance. Moreover, the following conditions, most of which are covered by the BVAP, also support our request for Exclusion Zone status from Commercial Cannabis for the entire area encompassed by the BVAP:
- There is inadequate road access
- Commercial cannabis operations are detrimental to the residential character of area
- Area topography, access, water availability or vegetation, combine to present a fire hazard and water resource constraints
- View shed protections and requirements
- Odor nuisance
- Sensitive biotic resources and significant environmental sensitivity exists throughout the BVAP area
All of these conditions are significantly impacted by Commercial Cannabis Cultivation, Processing or Sales. Accordingly, we request the Board of Supervisors freeze, deny, and cancel all in-process or future permits for commercial cannabis cultivation, processing, or sales operations planned in all areas encompassed within the Bennett Valley Area Plan (BVAP) and further request all areas encompassed within the BVAP be designated an Exclusion Zone where any commercial cannabis cultivation, processing, or sales operations are prohibited. Furthermore, we request all permitted cannabis operations be dismantled and cease operations by December 31, 2023, or by earliest date of permit expiration.
Petition to Preserve and Protect Bennett Valley - 2022
BV Petition
P.O. Box 3602
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
OR, Email scanned copies to: bvpetition2022@gmail.com
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Bennett Valley Citizen for Safe Development
