Settlement Reached in Carpinteria Cannabis Land Use Permit Appeal

Aultmore Capital CRE Property I, LLC, Pacific Grown Organics LLC (PGO) and the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis (the Coalition), a California nonprofit, are pleased to announce that they have reached a settlement in the Coalition’s appeal of PGO’s proposed cannabis operation in Carpinteria, which will allow PGO’s land use permit to be issued by the County of Santa Barbara (County) while implementing a new set of protocols for evaluating and controlling odors from PGO’s Carpinteria greenhouse.

PGO has created a robust adaptive management plan to meet the challenge of odor control that ensures accountability, transparency, and effectiveness. The introduction of PGO’s new odor abatement technology, disciplined standard operating procedures, and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) measuring systems will advance the science of odor-causing terpenes, which are released from mature cannabis plants.

The Coalition was instrumental in developing the Odor Inquiry Response Plan that utilizes community feedback to hold cannabis farms accountable in addressing odor drift. PGO has agreed to make public its standard operating procedures for harvesting and Odor Abatement Plan, including a weather monitoring system, a Community Outreach List and notification protocols, initial VOC monitoring upon operation, and a robust Odor Inquiry Response and Corrective Action Plan.

The Coalition concurs that PGO’s approach should be effective in mitigating cannabis odor.

“PGO’s commitment to test the effectiveness of this new approach and then do whatever is needed to control odors and prevent impacts to the community convinced us this was a responsible grower who deserved our support. The Coalition supports growers that go the extra mile to avoid negatively impacting neighbors,” ​explained Coalition Board member Rob Salomon.​ “The Coalition has been working hard for over a year to create a sustainable and compatible relationship with area growers. We’re glad PGO stepped up to the plate and we look forward to a sustainable future for cannabis in Carpinteria.”

Collin Dvorak, CEO, Pacific Grown Organics stated:​ “The professionalism, willingness, and creativity shown during these discussions will solve the odor management challenges in Carpinteria. The cannabis industry and the community of Santa Barbara County must maintain open minds and find ways to support and empower this new industry while ensuring the preservation and improvement of our cherished community’s way of life. Creating a new industry in our back yard has had its challenges, but we are up to that challenge. PGO is deploying proven data-based operating procedures and odor mitigation measures developed by highly qualified scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers that mark this industry’s maturing. I am confident we are on the path to ensuring that this environmentally friendly crop will be an enduring, robust and compatible pillar of Santa Barbara County’s economy.”