County Seeks Feedback on Cannabis Storefront Licensing

The County of Santa Barbara hosted six virtual community meetings in July to receive feedback and answer questions about the amended Cannabis Business License (Chapter 50) regulating cannabis retail storefront licensing. 

Before the Board of Supervisors meets on August 18, County staff is seeking additional feedback via a survey with an interactive map about what might constitute community benefit and compatibility for the Neighborhood Compatibility scoresheet.  

For a review of the community meeting presentation and videos of each meeting, go to cannabis.countyofsb.org/retail.sbc or use the links below.

 

The public can continue to submit feedback using the survey link above or by sending questions or comments in writing via e-mail to cannabisinfo@countyofsb.org, or leave a voice message at (805) 568-2057.

Chapter 50 (b) limits the number of storefront retail licenses to no more than one in each of six community plan areas. In June and July, County staff received hundreds of written responses about the business application criteria (not applicants or specific sites). In a previous survey, about 350 respondents ranked a list of concerns, as shown below in the order of most to least concerning:

1. Inappropriate Location (28%)
2. Safety (21%)
3. Traffic/Parking (17%)
4. Odor (12%)
5. Demand for one license could drive up cost of commercial rent (11%)
6. Exterior Design (11%)