Huntington Planning Commission to consider ban on recreational marijuana businesses

The Huntington Beach Planning Commission on Tuesday will consider a zoning amendment that prohibits the sale or distribution of non-medical marijuana by commercial businesses.

Proposition 64 was passed in November, allowing people 21 and older to use and cultivate non-medical marijuana, with stipulations granting local governments the ability to ban non-medical marijuana businesses and regulate cultivation, according to a city summary of the item.

The zoning amendment would also regulate the cultivation of non-medical marijuana.

The public hearing for the item is slated for July 25.

Request for new marina

A proposed marina in Huntington Harbour once denied by the commission and City Council for potential environmental issues will also be considered.

The project includes a public marina at 16926 Park Ave. with a 66-foot community docking area, a floating pedestrian ramp and a two-story building with an office, public restroom and a caretaker’s unit totaling 1,328 square feet, according to city documents.

The project still needs an authorized conditional use permit, coastal development permit and recirculated mitigated negative declaration, which analyzes the environmental impacts associated with the marina.

A larger form of the project was denied in 2007 by the commission and council. The commission cited a host of issues with it, including evidence that there would be a significant effect on the environment and a detrimental impact on people working or living nearby, the documents say.

The original marina office building was 2,793 square feet and three stories, the documents say.

An environmental analysis has concluded that the revised project would not pose significant environmental issues with incorporation of relevant mitigation measures, the documents say.

The commission public hearing is slated for July 25.

Review of environmental analysis for general plan update

The commission will continue its review of the environmental impact report of the general plan update, which will guide the city’s development decisions through 2040.

The draft looks at potential adverse effects to the environment as part of the implementation of the general plan update. It delves into air quality, biological and cultural resources and noise, among other issues.

According to a city staff report, most of the areas that could be negatively affected in the general plan update can be mitigated through proposed policies in the plan. But there are changes that would impact air quality, cultural resources, the water supply, noise and greenhouse gas emissions deemed “significant and unavoidable,” the report says.

The public can review a draft of the report at hbthenextwave.org/documents.

The commission’s public hearing for the EIR is slated for Aug. 15.

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