Marina residents voicing concerns over proposed marijuana facility

MARINA, Calif. (KION) People in a Marina neighborhood are seeing red as the city goes green, upset over the possibility of a marijuana cultivation facility in their backyards.

The city's planning commission already rejected the project proposal, but the business owners are appealing the decision to city council to bring it back.

The biggest concern among residents here is the smell a potential cultivation facility could produce, especially on windy days in Marina.

"So far I went around probably 20 to 21 families, and everyone I talked to is against it," said Lu Millard, a Marina resident.

Millard is gathering a coalition in her neighborhood over the proposed new cannabis cultivation facility, located at a commercial district building on the 3000 block of Paul Davis Drive.

With the building yards away from their homes, Millard says it is just the wrong place for a marijuana business.

"We don't like it. We don't want the smell affecting the health and the well-being of our life in this neighborhood, it's a real nice neighborhood," said Millard.

"It's new for Marina. We don't have cannabis businesses now, so until change happens and it gets down the road a little bit, people are rightfully, understandably, going to be nervous and concerned," said Bruce Delgado, the Marina mayor.

Mayor Delgado says the city's conditional use permit requires cannabis operations to contain the marijuana odor outside the property. If they do not, the permit will not be renewed.

The building landlord tells KION the cannabis company in questions - Element 7 - has odor mitigation technology. The landlord says they will make sure city codes are properly followed and will take action if not.

Residents still have concerns.

"They're going to run 24-7 air conditioning that's going to create noise, that's going to create vibration. They have a fan," said Millard.

The City of Marina could see between $40-$200,000 a year from cannabis tax revenues. The mayor says they need more funds for public services.

"I hope that we can support the cannabis industry to help us find the revenue to do the many things to improve our quality of life," said Delgado.

"I understand you need the money, but I told (a neighbor) it's the wrong place, wrong site," said Millard.

The city council is scheduled to hear the appeal next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Millard says she is planning to bring lots of neighbors.