On Aug. 25 the Hollister Planning Commission approved a site and architectural review for a 337,710-square-foot greenhouse building at 773 San Felipe Road for the cultivation, manufacturing and distribution of cannabis. The commission also approved an extension for an already approved minor subdivision, as well as a site and architectural review of a 13.19-acre parcel located at Wright Road and San Felipe Road to construct an approximately 340,000-square-foot greenhouse for the cultivation of cannabis.
The applicant for the San Felipe Road project, which will be called the Felipe 9 Cannabis Cultivation Park, is Patrick Oroso, representing the California-registered Nine LLC, which lists Sherry Lynn Peverini, a Watsonville real estate broker, as agent, as well as director of operations of the Oroso Group.
According to a California Environmental Quality Act addendum, the proposed project is an expansion of the previously approved Felipe 9 Cannabis Cultivation Park. The original project was approved but has not yet been constructed. The proposed expansion would incorporate three additional parcels, adding 4.17 acres to the project area. The proposed use for indoor cannabis cultivation (greenhouse), distribution and manufacturing would remain the same. However, the expansion would focus on increasing the greenhouse space, resulting in a structure footprint of 337,710 square feet. This represents an increase of 117,816 square feet compared to the approved project.
The building will be accessed through a shared easement across the property to the west, which has access to the San Felipe Frontage Road. This property received entitlements to construct and operate a cannabis dispensary. However, no building permit has been issued for the site, and those entitlements expired on April 11, 2021.
According to the agenda packet, the project was conditioned to improve their access driveway as well as the street frontage on the San Felipe Frontage Road. The project was also conditioned to contribute their share of the adopted San Felipe Beautification and Plan Line project.
The project, which has no pedestrian access from the public right of way, is proposed to be located behind security fencing and gates, and the only access point is via the vehicular driveway and gate on the western edge of the property.
While the minimum number of parking spaces, based on the square footage of the building, is 332, the commission approved the planned 132 parking spaces to accommodate a shift of up to 80 people, according to Oroso, who was present at the meeting for both projects.
The applicant proposed a variety of landscaping throughout the site. A total of 14% of the site will be landscaped, which is greater than the 5% minimum landscape coverage required under the Commercial and Mixed-Use Zone land uses and permit requirements.
When originally approved, Oroso said there was a prospective tenant for a smaller building, but when the tenant requested a larger building, delays in the approval process resulted in the tenant backing out of the deal. The present building project does not have a tenant at this time, Oroso said.
The Wright Road extension approval, listed as a Wright Thirteen LLC project, also lists Peverini as agent. The commission approved the subdivision of a 13.19-acre parcel into four lots consisting of 4.25 acres, 4.01 acres, 4.07 acres, and 0.86 acres. A single 340,000-square-foot greenhouse building will be constructed.
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