SAFFORD — During a recent joint work session, the Graham County Board of Supervisors and the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission discussed how to handle applications to grow cannabis going forward.
“Just speaking for myself, I’d like to see some additional changes, and modifications and restrictions on cannabis cultivation in our county,” said Supervisor Paul David. “I’m not comfortable with the current vehicle that we have, and the changes have been interim.”
In November, the Board of Supervisors approved a change to county code, moving the growing of marijuana from the M-X (mixed use industrial) zone to the A (agriculture/general land use) zone with the requirement of conditions or a conditional use permit.
The change allows for growing and processing in an enclosed, permanent structure, located on a maximum of 300 acres and the structure cannot exceed 50 percent lot coverage. The structure must also be a minimum of 1,000 feet from the lot line of residentially-zoned property.
David said he hoped the joint work session would begin to refine the change in the ordinance, to prohibit any outdoor cultivation, prohibit use of temporary structures for indoor growing, and set a minimum size of 50,000- to 60,000-square-feet for indoor cultivation structures. He also said he favored prohibiting processing.
“I, personally, don’t want to . . . become the marijuana capital of Arizona,” he said.
Supervisor John Howard suggested adding language that sets a minimum distance between grows, and set a hefty annual renewal fee of upward of $50,000 for the conditional use permit.
“Make it a permit that is beneficial to the county for revenue, but also make it serious, for people that are serious about growing instead of trying to just jump in and then abandon it,” Howard said.
Staff will take the suggestions from the work session and bring back proposed modifications to code for review and possible action.
