The odor from the plants is offensive. The additional traffic for a cannabis farm that size is going to put more wear and tear on our already stressed roads. On top of that it is going to bring a criminal element into our valley.

As a 4th generation tax paying Lake County resident, whose 300 acre ranch, is adjacent to this proposed project, I urge you to carefully read and review the comments submitted here by Brian Hall. The extreme wildfire risk is one of the many reasons, if not the greatest reason, to oppose this project. The residents of Lake County and our beautiful county, that have suffered so much loss from wildfires, as well as the first responders and fire fighting personnel who risk their lives to protect us, deserve the due diligence of a thorough review of the many errors and severe risks of this project.

I agree with Maria Kann and Brian Hall and oppose UP 20-33. Our valley and High Valley Road cannot handle any more traffic or congestion than we already have. Please deny this use permit.

I have many concerns with this project.

The 0.5 megawatt photovoltaic system will be constructed on a 3,000 ft ridge within the Mendocino National Forest boundary above the town of Lucerne. The system will cover aprx 1.5 acres (not 0.4 acres as shown) and will generate enough power to supply 90 homes. The wildfire risk with a PV system of this size and in this location should have been considered in the CEQA process. However, the initial study indicates that wildfire and energy impacts were not considered for this project. Of particular concern is the wildfire risk to the home on the neighboring property 1,000 ft east of the site. If a fire were to break out at the PV system location with the prevailing west wind, the driveway access to High Valley Road for this property would be blocked in seconds. On the other hand, a strong east wind (typical of red flag conditions) would push the fire down to Lucerne.

The project lists 8 acres of canopy (although 13 acres is drawn), 42 buildings, 1500 solar modules, (13) water tanks and (16) parking spaces but states there will be no grading or permitted buildings. Clearly, there will be grading and all buildings, other than agricultural storage and residential accessory buildings (tool sheds and playhouses), must have building permits. The initial study states “The County’s issuance of the required permits (grading and building) triggers the need for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)”. Therefore, by not requiring grading and building permits, the project avoids the need to comply with CEQA. It appears that a design goal for this project was to avoid grading and building permits for this reason. This includes Calfire access requirements which are critical considering the significant wildfire risk. Top heavy 10’ x 10’processing “sheds” with electrical connections and no foundations will be subjected to very high winds in a very high fire risk area. The absence of permitted buildings also means that none of the buildings can be occupied by people/employees. There will be no safe shelter during major wind or rain storms and no place for staff to reside and monitor the PV system or bank of generators.

This project should be denied based on the extreme wildfire risk, lack of environmental studies regarding the photovoltaic system and the unwillingness to obtain grading permits, building permits and the additional safeguards their issuance provides.

I oppose UP 20-33. The impact to the residents of High Valley will be intolerable and unacceptable.
Liu Farms will operate Mon-Sat 5 am-4 pm from May through Nov with a year-round nursery. Cultivation would occur for approximately 270 days annually and the permit will be issued for 10 years! They expect to have 16 employees, March - November and 16 work trucks coming to and from the project, for as many as 32 trips per day from employees with a minimum of one daily truck delivery throughout the season. Add that to the already excessive traffic associated with Brassfields Winery and whatever the recently approved UP 20-21 requires.
Liu Farms is not a resident of Lake County They may own property but they do not live here and share our values and way of life. Non-residents don’t appreciate and respect the serenity and natural beauty of High Valley and the solitude, privacy, and lifestyle of its residents. These operations do not belong in our small valley community.

The property owners and residents of High Valley have already experienced the complete disruption and disregard for our quiet, rural community and way of life by the cannabis industry and our own county government. SourzHVR left a bad taste in our mouths when they came into our valley with their around-the-clock operation that brought to our home unacceptable levels of noise, dust, trash, traffic congestion, undesirable elements in unregistered vehicles, outright lies, complete disregard of our complaints, and destruction to the natural beauty and wildlife. The county was actively pushing their project through in violation of multiple laws, aspects of the project plan, and our rights as affected citizens. We DO NOT WANT additional industrial businesses approved in High Valley. Brassfield Winery is a large operation that currently produces a high volume of traffic, noise, pollution, and trash from careless motorists and work vehicles. Non-residents drive way too fast and pose a risk to those of us who walk our dogs on the only road we have. We are forced to step into the ditch to avoid vehicles because there are no sidewalks on our one-lane road. Several intoxicated drivers have crashed through fences and damaged private property. High Valley Road is not designed to handle your Field of Dreams activity and the property owners and residents of High Valley do not want our peaceful valley stolen from us and handed over to non-residents for the sake of a few tax dollars.

Deny up 20-33.