Pepper Lane, a close-knit family neighborhood, is about to become the center of a large Cannabis commercial grow operation. 

In March 2019, the owner of 985 Pepper Rd in Petaluma applied for a Cannabis Use Permit (UPC19-0005) through the County of Sonoma. 

The proposed project is approximately 30,000 sqft of cannabis wholesale nursery, propagation, processing, and transport distribution (300ft from multiple homes pictured above). This is one of the largest proposed cannabis operations in Petaluma and is located in the heart of the Pepper Lane community: a well-established, family neighborhood. This is not the right location for this large operation.

Family Neighborhood- Our neighborhood is quiet and serene. The sounds you hear include birds, farm animals, frogs, and kids playing. On Pepper Lane alone there are over 15 school aged children, some who are even younger. We are a close-knit community. We take pride in our homes, land, children, and animals. But our kids won’t play outside anymore, because of contaminates from this facility’s noxious odors, pesticide, processing, and waste. This would jeopardize our wells, which provide the water we use to cook, drink, and bathe in.

Crime and Safety- Marijuana operations inherently attract crime and other activities which threaten communities that surround them. Only a few miles from us, a neighbor was attacked and almost killed by armed criminals who mistakenly targeted the wrong home in search of marijuana and money. This is not the first of such incidents, and it likely won't be the last. If this facility is approved and constructed, we could be next. (https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/marin-county-manhunt-on-for-five-armed-and-dangerous-suspects-in-petaluma/)

Other impacts from this cannabis operation include but are not limited to: environmental impact, impact on local plant and animal species (including endangered and threatened species), drainage/runoff, traffic/safety, noise and light disturbances, pesticides, pollutants, drop in property values, and more. 

This is not just a piece of rural land. This is a community.

This is not the right location for this large operation. 

Once Sonoma County allows such grow operations in residential communities to begin, we will not see the end of grow operations near residential areas county-wide.

Sonoma County Commissioners and Supervisors are likely to review this project in 2021. This petition is an appeal to and request for denial of the above permit. Preserving the Pepper Lane community means preserving this beautiful neighborhood, and the surrounding community of Petaluma, for generations to come. Thank you for your support!

If you are interested in helping out, or for more information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us via email at:  pepperlaneneighborhood@gmail.com

Our Supervisors and Commissioners are: 

-Supervisor David Rabbitt  (David.Rabbitt@sonoma-county.org)

-Planning Commissioner Todd Tamura (todd.tamura@sonoma-county.org) 

-Planning Commissioner Larry Reed (larry.reed@sonoma-county.org)

Permit Information, Permit Sonoma Website: 

https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/PRMD/Services/Zoning-and-Parcel-Report/?APN=113-110-068&rp=PermitSearch&P=permits&PN=UPC19-0005