The mayor of Desert Hot Springs Tuesday denied the city’s legalized commercial marijuana cultivation is “chaotic,” insisting policies will never allow “farms growing wild.”
Scott Matas told City News Service that the city’s residents are overwhelmingly positive about legalized pot growing that is expected to bring tens of millions of dollars to the downtrodden city “for more police officers, city repairs and infrastructure over the next 10 to 15 years.”
The mayor was reacting to a front-page story Tuesday in the Los Angeles Times detailing the new industry and its expected impact on an economically struggling desert town miles from its more glamorous, wealthy neighbor Palm Springs across Interstate 10. Desert Hot Springs’ annual household income of $33,500 is below the California median.
“We let people know that it’s not just going to be farms growing wild. It’s going to be in well protected warehouses. You’re not going to even know it’s there,” Matas said.
The Times quoted Coachella Valley real estate broker Marc Robinson as saying the rush to buy property in Desert Hot Springs is “pretty chaotic.” He said he’s getting calls “from all over the world” about buying marijuana cultivation property in Desert Hot Springs.
Matas noted that the city held a public forum April 20 that was attended by about 100 residents, who he said voiced support of the new city plan. He promised other forums will be held.
The Desert Hot Springs move to allow marijuana dispensaries and cultivation in 2014 came after a local economic emergency was declared. Cultivation was to be allowed only in restricted zones.
The first cultivation could begin by this summer, according to the Times. State law enacted last year will allow state licensing in 2018, but growers must first show they have licenses from cities in which they operate.
The rush for pot-growing property in the allowed zones in Desert Hot Springs has resulted in a tripling of land prices in those areas, according to real estate brokers who spoke to the Times.
While marijuana growing may seem exotic, cultivators could face the same mundane delays with which any new business has to deal. The Times reported it could take years for growers in some spots to bring electricity to their sites.
Desert Hot Springs’ cultivation plan actually began with a pair of voter- approved tax initiatives approved in 2014 — a 10 percent sales tax on medical and recreational usage of marijuana, and taxation per square footage of any cultivation facility.
Now with California voters expected to weigh in on the “Adult Use of Marijuana Act” this November, Matas told CNS that Desert Hot Springs stands to gain “tens of millions” in tax revenue “for more police officers, city repairs and infrastructure over the next 10 to 15 years.”
Since the 2014 marijuana ordinances went into effect, a handful of dispensaries have opened up in the city, while around 20 cultivation facilities have either been approved or are under review for approval. While The Times said the first growers could be operating this summer, Matas said he expected at least four cultivators to have facilities up and running within the next two to three years.
Matas said residents’ reception to the concept has been overwhelmingly positive, citing more than 65 percent voter approval for both 2014 tax measures and the response at the recent city-hosted forum regarding potential future cultivation within Desert Hot Springs.
— Wire reports