CASE STUDIES

MULTIPLE COUNTIES

Cannabis Opportunity Zones for Vertical Integration

EXPERTISE APPLIED TO:

  • Permitting and Processing of Land Use Entitlements
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Cannabis Opportunity Zone Lobbying & Management

The Client

The County of San Luis Obispo has some of the strictest regulations and ordinances that govern cannabis cultivation and cannabis related activities.

The Project

Catalyst entered the Cannabis arena in late 2019 with a request from a large cannabis operator in San Luis Obispo County for assistance with the permitting and processing of land use entitlements for nine (9) commercial cannabis cultivation grows throughout San Luis Obispo County.

Essentially, processing a cannabis cultivation permit can be equated to a full Environmental Impact Report that would be required for a large shopping center with either a Walmart or Costco as the anchor tenant.

The Scenario

In most reasonable people would think that cannabis cultivation is still an agricultural operation with no more noise or odor creation than a garlic or broccoli farm and packaging operation.

Catalyst has worked on cannabis operations (cultivation, processing, distribution, and retail sales) in various counties ( San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Madera, Fresno & Kings).

Project Details

While Catalyst was on the San Luis Obispo County projects for over a year the concept of Cannabis Opportunity Zones for Vertical Integration was convinced.

Essentially, a Cannabis Opportunity Zone is an area designated by a City of County that is allowable by Zoning and General Plan Land Use Designation for a vertical integration of cannabis operations.

This allows a permit streamlining process to be implemented which then accelerates the amount of taxable income generated from the cannabis operations to be received by the municipal jurisdiction.

In addition, the permit streamlining of cannabis promotes the job growth opportunities for the municipality.

Catalyst is currently working with the Madera County Economic Development Commission on the creation of the States first Cannabis Opportunity Zone and will be presenting to the Board of Supervisors in late Spring 2020.

Catalyst is also developing a Cannabis/Hemp Opportunity Zone for the City of Huron in western Fresno County.