3 Marijuana Businesses, Industrial Project Get OK: Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Conditional use permits and development agreements for three separate cannabis operations were approved by the Lake Elsinore City Council this week. Additionally, the council paved the way for construction of a 91,140-square-foot industrial complex near Lake Elsinore Unified School District headquarters.

With council member Steve Manos absent, during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday the council unanimously approved a request by Tree Haus, LLC to establish a 4,892-square-foot cannabis facility at 18532 Pasadena Street and a request by Kind Group Ventures LLC to establish a 3,754-square-foot cannabis operation at 571 Crane Street, Unit H.

Tree Haus will manufacture, distribute and sell marijuana within an existing building at the Pasadena Street site. Kind Group will manufacture cannabis within an existing building at the Crane Street site.

There were no letters of opposition to either project, and council members did not comment.

By a 3-1 vote, with member Bob Magee dissenting, the council also approved a request by Gilbert Alba to establish a 2,352-square-foot cannabis cultivation facility at 31879 Corydon, Suite 150.

Magee expressed concern that Alba has been cited for moving some equipment to the site before being permitted. The councilman was also unnerved that Alba conducted limited neighbor outreach to address any concerns they might have regarding the proposed project.

In response, Alba said he was doing further outreach. Grant Taylor, Lake Elsinore's director of community development, said that when Alba was approached by the city about the premature move-in, he quickly complied.

There were two public comments against Alba's project.

All three cannabis businesses must still undergo state and city permitting processes before opening.

For the 91,140-square-foot Pennington Industrial Project located at the southeastern corner of Chaney and Minthorn streets, council members unanimously set the stage for development to move forward by allowing the applicant, Rod Oshita of Pennington Industrial LLC, to subdivide the 5.01-acre site into three parcels that would each house a 30-foot-tall tilt-up industrial building.

Two buildings would measure over 30,000 square feet while a third would span just under 20,000 square feet. The complex would also provide 167 parking spaces.

There was no word on when construction might begin or who the future tenants might be. Oshita said his firm developed Fairway Business Park near the proposed project's site. "Things are thriving across the street," Oshita said.

As part of the Pennington approval process, council members signed off on a mitigated negative declaration, which circumvents a state requirement for an environmental impact report. Additionally, the council members concurred that the project conforms to the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan.

Golden State Environmental Justice Alliance has opposed the project.