Riverside County supervisors are slated Tuesday to approve the fourth cannabis retail outlet in the unincorporated community of Highgrove, and the first one in the unincorporated area west of Corona.
Two separate public hearings are planned — one for the marijuana retail outlet proposed by People’s First Choice on La Cadena Drive in Highgrove, and the other proposed by Coronita Helping Hands at the intersection of Via Josefa and Via Santiago just outside the Corona city limits.
The proposed People’s First Choice operation would be in the 200 block of La Cadena, in the immediate vicinity of three other cannabis outlets approved by the Board of Supervisors in the last year alongside Interstate 215. The location has been specifically zoned for cannabis retail and manufacturing operations.
The storefront and mobile delivery service would be run out of a 4,400-square-foot former office building, according to the county Transportation & Land Management Agency.
TLMA documents state the retailer would operate seven days a week, during the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
On Feb. 3, the county Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposal and forwarded it to the board for final authorization.
Under the proposed 10-year conditional use permit and development agreement, People’s First Choice would be required to make a first-year public benefits payment to the county totaling $84,700. An ongoing annual payment of $100,000 would be owed, as well, helping cover the expense of additional law enforcement services in the area, according to the TLMA. That amount would be increased 5% annually as part of an inflation adjustment.
The proposed Coronita Helping Hands operation would be just south of the Riverside (91) Freeway, in close proximity to residential neighborhoods.
It is unclear whether the project will face public opposition during the board meeting.
The storefront would be run out of a 2,500-square-foot building that would replace a modular trailer currently at the site, according to the TLMA.
Documents indicate that the retailer would be open seven days a week, during the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Three to four clerical employees and an armed security guard would be in the shop, officials said.
Under the proposed 10-year conditional use permit and development agreement, Coronita Helping Hands would be required to make a first-year public benefits payment to the county totaling $45,000. An ongoing annual payment of $50,000 would also be owed, increased 5% every year for inflation.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposal and forwarded it to the board for final authorization.
The board has previously authorized dispensaries and manufacturing facilities in Bermuda Dunes, Green Acres, Lakeland Village, Mead Valley and Temescal Valley.
The county’s 2018 Marijuana Comprehensive Regulatory Framework, codified under Ordinance No. 348, provides for steps that prospective businesses must take to be eligible for permits. Safety and health safeguards are part of the regulatory stipulations.
To date, the board has approved only indoor marijuana manufacturing and distribution outlets — not outdoor commercial cannabis grows — in unincorporated communities.