Planning Commission

825 Fifth Street Board of Supervisors Chambers Eureka, California

Agenda — 21 items

1. 1 The County of Humboldt is committed to providing equal access to all county programs, services and activities through the provision of accommodations for individuals with qualified disabilities as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. With 72 hours prior notice, a request for reasonable accommodation or modification can be made. Please contact the Clerk of the Board Office at 707-476-2390 or by email cob@co.humboldt.ca.us or the ADA Coordinator at 844-365-0352 or by email at ada@co.humboldt.ca.us. Please note: Those not able to attend the Planning Commission meeting in person will have the opportunity to provide public comment via Zoom; however, the County of Humboldt cannot guarantee that the Zoom system will be available for the entirety of every meeting. The only ways to guarantee that your comment is received and considered by the Planning Commission are to attend the meeting in person or submit your comment in writing in advance of the meeting.
2. 2 HOW TO LISTEN OR WATCH THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING: 1. https://zoom.us/j/87544807065 Password: 200525 2. Call in via telephone at 346 248-7799, enter meeting id 875 4480 7065 Password: 200525 3. A live stream of the meeting can be found by using the following link: https://humboldt.legistar.com or by watching Access Humboldt on cable 1. In Person Public Comment: Any person may appear and present testimony for an item on this agenda at the hearing located in the Board of Supervisors' Chamber, Humboldt County Courthouse, 825 Fifth Street, Eureka, California. The Planning Commission needs 15 COPIES of any materials submitted at the meeting. 2. Zoom Public Comment: When the Planning Commission announce the agenda item that you wish to comment on, call the conference line, enter the Meeting ID and press star (*) 9 on your phone, this will raise your hand. You’ll continue to hear the Planning Commission meeting on the call. When it is your turn to speak, you’ll hear a prompt to unmute, press star (*) 6. Please turn off your TV or live stream to avoid delays. If you encounter any issues, please use the call-in option below. 3. Phone call using cellphone or landline: When the Planning Commission meeting begins, call in on the conference line. When the Planning Commission Chair starts to discuss the item you wish to comment on, Press *9 to raise your hand. When you are called upon to speak, you will be prompted to unmute, press *6 to unmute. You may access the live stream of the meeting by using the following link: https://humboldt.legistar.com SUBMITTING PUBLIC COMMENT PRIOR TO THE MEETING: Public comments may be submitted via email to Planningclerk@co.humboldt.ca.us. Please provide the project title, record or case number and date of the hearing. The deadline for submitting written comments is 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, 2025. After the deadline, written comments may be submitted to the commission in person during the meeting (15 copies). Comments can be found at the “Attachments” section of the “Meeting Details” link next to the posted Agenda at: https://humboldt.legistar.com and will be included with the administrative record. If you do not have access to email, contact the Planning Clerk at 707-267-9409. ▶ jump to 0:23
3. A. CALL TO ORDER / SALUTE TO FLAG ▶ jump to 1:51
4. B. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT ▶ jump to 2:17
5. C. AGENDA MODIFICATIONS ▶ jump to 2:48
6. D. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: ▶ jump to 3:33
7. E. CONSENT AGENDA ▶ jump to 7:47
8. 1. Review and approval of the August 21, 2025, Action Summary 25-1124 approved
9. 2. Review and approval of the September 4, 2025, Action Summary. 25-1125 approved
10. 3. Fenario LLC Conditional Use Permit and Special Permit Assessor Parcel Number (APN) 223-034-003 Record No.: PLN-12050-CUP Benbow area A Conditional Use Permit for up to 34,924 square feet of existing outdoor cannabis cultivation with 1,440 square feet of appurtenant nursery space. Water for irrigation is sourced from two permitted diversions and rainwater catchment. Water storage consists of 38,750-gallons of existing hard tanks and 300,000 gallons of proposed rainwater catchment tanks that will replace an onstream pond that will be retired and restored. Annual cultivation water use is 239,600 gallons. Processing activities including trimming and packaging will occur offsite. Power provided by a solar panel and battery system with a generator for emergencies. The project includes a Special Permit for the removal and restoration of a pond in a streamside management area. 25-1131 approved
11. 10 CONSENT AGENDA approved Pass ▶ jump to 7:47
12. 4. Humboldt Flavor, LLC. Conditional Use Permit and Special Permit Assessor’s Parcel Numbers: 210-074-008-000, 210-074-007-000 Record Numbers: PLN-12935-CUP Larabee Valley area A Conditional Use Permit request for 15,545 square feet (SF) of existing outdoor cultivation utilizing light deprivation techniques. Ancillary nursery area totals 1,260 square feet. Irrigation water is sourced from a permitted groundwater well. Existing water storage totals 47,000 gallons in hard tanks. The estimated annual irrigation water need is 200,000 gallons (12.87 gallons per square foot). Processing will occur offsite at a licensed third-party facility. Power is provided by a generator and a recommended condition of approval will be to require electricity to be sourced from renewable sources by January 1, 2026. The applicant is also requesting a Special Permit for a setback reduction to public lands. 25-1129 approved
13. F. PUBLIC HEARINGS ▶ jump to 7:52
14. 1. Draft Density Bonus Ordinance Amendment – Updating Zoning Ordinance to match State Code that regulates and allows Density Bonuses Assessor Parcel Numbers (APN) 000-000-000 Record No.: LRP-2023-18343 Countywide An amendment to the Inland and Coastal Zoning Regulations to amend sections 313‑111 and 314‑112 to update the Density Bonus Regulations such that they match the current State requirements as established within California Government Code Section 65915 and 65915.5. Additional changes are made to amend the definitions in Sections 313-136 through 313-157 and Sections 314-136 through 314-157 in order to maintain consistency both externally with Government Code and internally between the Inland and Coastal regulations. 25-1120 approved Pass ▶ jump to 34:13
15. 2. Amendments to Commercial Cannabis Microbusiness Standards – Path to Enabling Microbusinesses to be permitted as Zoning Clearance Certificates under certain conditions. Assessor Parcel Numbers (APN) 000-000-000 Record No.: LRP-2025-19214 Countywide An amendment to the Commercial Cannabis Microbusiness provisions of the Inland Zoning Regulations to amend subsections 314-55.4.8.2 and 314-55.4.10.3 to broaden the permit-type options for cannabis microbusinesses and to enable nonvolatile cannabis manufacturing in association with cannabis cultivation activities. This Zoning Ordinance Amendment applies to the entire inland region of Humboldt County. 25-1122 approved Pass ▶ jump to 59:13
16. 3. McKinleyville Town Center Zoning Amendment Ordinance Assessor Parcel Numbers (APN) 508-251-060, 510-133-013-000, 508-251-008,508-251-061, 508-251-040, 508-251-051, 508-251-052, 508-251-034, 508-251-035, 508-251-023, 508-251-024, 510-133-006, 510-411-031, 510-133-032, 510-133-028, 510-411-025, 510-411-014, 510-411-006, 510-411-016, 510-401-027,510-401-026, 510-401-022, 510-401-011, 510-401-028, 510-401-003, 510-341-015, 510-341-019, 510-341-039, 510-341-017, 510-341-041, 510-132-013, 510-132-031, 510-132-007, 510-132-032, 510-132-017, 510-132-015, 510-132-003, 510-122-022, 510-122-005, 510-122-036, 510-122-037, 510-122-024, 510-122-003, 510-122-031, 510-122-033, 510-134-022, 510-122-035, 510-122-032, 510-122-028, 510-122-027, 510-122-026, 510-122-025. Record No.: PLN-2020-16567 McKinleyville The McKinleyville Town Center Ordinance will rezone the area as Mixed Use with a Qualified Combining Zone (Q-Zone) overlay. The Q-Zone will apply specific regulations to the Town Center site. The Q-Zone will support a mix of commercial, civic, and residential uses while emphasizing bicycle and pedestrian connectivity, public gathering spaces, open space, and wetland preservation. The Q-Zone includes form-based building design standards. Changes are contemplated in how wetlands are defined in the Community Plan. 25-1130 approved as amended Pass ▶ jump to 216:17
17. G. ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT
18. H. REPORT FROM PLANNER ▶ jump to 216:43
19. I. PLANNING COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION ITEMS
20. J. ADJOURNMENT ▶ jump to 217:47
21. K. NEXT MEETINGS October 2, 2025 6:00 p.m. Regular Meeting-Hybrid