Page 4 - Sonoma County Gazette Janaury 2019

LETTERS cont’d from page 3
Bridget: in response to your statement “To assume that the opposition to this commercial grow is based on fear is to ignore the
very real and serious problem of neighborhood compatibility and land use.” - FEAR is ONE of the factors that people brought up over and over in the NEXTDOOR posts. It’s why
A Soft Landing:
Modular Buildings to
Provide a Beautiful
Temporary Home
(December 2018 Gazette)
neighborhood compatibility and land use. Friends of Graton (FOG) have posted their concerns in the past, so I won’t repeat them.
FOG has also posted the only factual plan, the one submitted to the County, the others are not accurate. They mis-label the office/employee/ processing buildings and the number of parking spaces.
I addressed fear because although people expressed their fear of criminal activity, they didn’t identify it as their main reasons for wanting the trail to be protected by the 1,000- foot setback.
I’m writing about recent articles that I’ve read in both the Press Democrat and the Sonoma County Gazette that describe the 5 new modular homes being created by your consortium that will provide temporary housing for fire victims who lost their homes in the 2017 fires.
The Incomplete Letter sent by
the County Planner has noted 25 application materials that have not been submitted by the applicant. The Planner also lists the concerns of over 100 people who contacted him about the Project. Please feel free to read it- UPC18-0044.
Irene brought up the fear factor when she spoke of coming home
to police activity near her home which is close to the second facility applying for a permit. But most other people spoke about the negative consequences of growing and processing cannabis near family recreational activities, and residential neighborhoods.
Neither story included any details describing whether any of the 5 new tiny homes will be accessible for those with physical disabilities Am I correct in my belief that none of the new, modular homes that Homes
for Sonoma has created for fire victims, are physically accessible for either first-time residents who may or may not presently have a physical disability but may become physically disabled during the time they reside in them?
Unfortunately, at the moment, cannabis is not just another crop that can be left in the field to ripen - being stolen is a very real possibility. The recent break-in of an indoor grow
1 mile away illustrates the problem only too well and demonstrates
the need for the 8 ft. fences, night lighting, and cameras.
They are not afraid of the plant - they are afraid of the criminals. They don’t want security fences and lights being activated by motion detectors. They don’t want to think that criminals will be lurking about their homes in search of this property.
Maybe one day things will change, but this is the reality today. Today we had a large, burly gentleman in Anna Ransom’s yard asking if this was where the cannabis is! The addresses on the permit are incorrect so he went to the address listed. Is this what we all need?
If cannabis had not suffered 100 years of prohibition, this would
not be an issue. Alcohol’s 13 years
of prohibition left a black market economy behind. Cannabis still suffers from its own black market. It will take a long time for this plant to come out of the dark into the light.
And, in the future, when those residential units are moved to a more permanent location, will they be modified to make them fully accessible so Sonoma County residents with physical disabilities will be able to live in them?
I really don’t see why it matters which strain of cannabis is grown THC or CBD - surely no one would oppose a vineyard depending on whether it’s Pinot or Chardonnay or an apple orchard - no Gravensteins, Granny Smiths only please!
I look forward to your timely response. Thank you and Happy Holidays.
Why does it matter which strain
is grown? Because THC plants
get people high. CBD plants are another breed entirely just like hemp cannabis is another plant. It’s not
Richard Skaff, Executive Director Designing Accessible Communities
Jackalope Gardens has told us that they will be coming up with new plans that will be better suited to the community, all good, but until then we should focus only on what is on file with the county.
the same as Merlot vs. Chardonnay. All wine grapes - even apples -
can become alcoholic beverages if processed for alcohol instead of juice.
I would assume that accessibility would depend upon who is living
in the home. If they need it - they
get ramps, etc. if they don’t, it’s an unnecessary additional expense. Like many modular homes, they can be assembled in many different ways according to the needs of the people living there. Because it’s a private home, but a public facility, there are options. ~ Vesta
I appreciate the time you took
to respond to my email. My email talked about the design of the new tiny homes that were built for folks that lost their homes to our recent fires. I was very interested to learn about your thoughts and opinions about these new temporary single family residential facilities. However, a couple of the statements in your email don’t quite jibe with the reality I know.
It’s not so much the product as the buildings, parking, noise, traffic, lighting and yes the crime. I would ask people to look at the site and read through the application and the Incomplete Letter from the Planner and then ask yourselves is fear of cannabis really the reason?
Criminals see a pot plant and they don’t know if they can sell the buds of one vs. the other. All they see are dollar signs in their eyes and they aren’t the kind of people who will take the risk of going into business to develop a product and customer base through legal channels.
Several hundred people have done all that and decided it’s the wrong project in a neighborhood, Quite a few people came to the information table we had and then shared that they were in the cannabis industry
They do not respect people’s personal boundaries nor personal property. It’s why neighbors will target grow houses, pot gardens, etc. among their homes. It’s not the plant - it’s the criminal activity.
- they all signed the petition feeling that the Project it was just in the wrong place. I KNOW that they are not afraid of cannabis.
That’s the Fear Factor and it will exist as long as cannabis has a profitable black market.
Bridget Beytagh, Graton
- Vesta Copestakes
The fact is, when a building (commercial or residential) is first
4 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 1/19
LETTERS cont’d on page 5