Citizens Advisory board recommends approval of Kenwood dispensary

Concerns persist about the increased traffic a proposed cannabis dispensary would bring to a shopping center on Highway 12 in Kenwood. The Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission (SVCAC) on Jan. 22 considered the application for a conditional use permit for Sonoma’s Finest, a cannabis business hoping to open in a vacant space in the Kenwood Village shopping center, at 8910 Highway 12.

Commissioners approved the application 9-2 with commissioners Matthew Dickey and Thomas Martin dissenting. SVCAC votes are non-binding, but their recommendations are considered by the county Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.

Applicant David Scott, of Sonoma’s Finest, said that traffic increases aren’t inherently a byproduct of cannabis dispensaries.

Some people said “they don’t care about cannabis, they just don’t want any successful business there,” Scott told members of the SVCAC at last Wednesday’s meeting. Any business that would bring vehicular traffic poses concern for locals who said they find it “dangerous” to exit the parking lot of the center, Scott said he was told by residents.

Kenwood Village is currently home to the Kenwood Market, Palooza restaurant and some wine tasting rooms, among other businesses.

The speed limit is 45 mph past that particular segment of Highway 12 and a center-turn lane runs in front of most of the shopping center, which Scott said he uses to pull into before merging safely into traffic.

Herman G. Hernandez, a public affairs strategist with 421 Group, a cannabis strategy agency working with Sonoma’s Finest, told the SVCAC he canvassed the neighborhood surrounding the shopping center and, of the 91 people reached, 57 signed a letter of support for the cannabis business, and nine opposed the project. Additionally 14 neighboring businesses signed letters of support, he said. Hernandez is also a board member of Sonoma County Office of Education.

As a result of a community meeting held in the Kenwood Village space in August and subsequent canvassing and conversations with residents, Scott said they are proposing to place an emphasis on delivery service of medicinal and recreational cannabis products. That would reduce anticipated traffic and parking needs, he said, and still serve the needs of customers and patients who rely on cannabis products.

Sonoma’s Finest would provide plain clothes security on-site to ensure customers are following the law that prohibits consumption of any cannabis product in the store or parking lot. Scott said they are also working with the community on a variety of details of the business, such as how they want the business to appear from the courtyard and parking lot; where customers enter and exit the store; operating hours; and aesthetics.

Contact Anne at anne.ernst@sonomanews.com.