Very much against Lake County issuing a Major Use Permit for these companies that will destroy the environment and bring unwanted traffic and chaos to the area which has been set aside for retreats.

I strongly oppose the creation of more agriculture that further destroys our beautiful Lake County forests and wildlife habitat, and uses up our precious water resources. Use should be made of already 'de-natured' environments.

As a resident of the Seigler Springs community for nearly 40 years, I strongly oppose the proposed Major Use Permit. One of my major concerns is the drawing of large amounts of water from the common reserves serving residents of the area. At this time of climate vulnerability in particular, it feels to me irresponsible for the Planning Commission to approve this proposal.

I own property just a couple of blocks away from this site, and I am very concerned about water use, noise and peace and quiet altogether. Why don't the growers find a place such as a winery for sale, and develop that. I feel that they are encroaching on me and and my family's well-being with this proposed grow, just for commercial benefit and without true regard for their impact.

Forest has been my neighbor for 7 years. He has a permitted grow that borders my property. He has been a exemplary neighbor. Drives slow, keeps and eye out for bad actors, not loud and no glowing greenhouses. Always takes a call. People like him should have the opportunity to thrive in this county.

I am writing to formally oppose Use Permit PL-26-115 submitted by Seigler Springs North LLC / Forest Ellie. This commercial cannabis grow introduces an intensive, industrial-style operation that is fundamentally incompatible with our rural community character. Our narrow, quiet roads—specifically Seigler Springs North Road and Loch Lomond Road—are entirely unsuited for the resulting influx of heavy truck traffic. This commercial activity will generate persistent noise, hazardous dust pollution, and severe road degradation, directly degrading the quality of life for neighboring homes and disrupting the peace of local spiritual and meditative retreats.

Furthermore, the project poses severe environmental and public safety threats that have not been adequately addressed. The heavy water demands of cannabis cultivation threaten to deplete Seigler Canyon Creek, a critical waterway, risking shallow aquifers and native wildlife. This disruption is exacerbated by the project's planned tree removal, which threatens our fragile forest canopy at a time when local trees are already dying from extreme water stress, bark beetles, the Mediterranean oak borer, and Sudden Oak Death.

Finally, the application fails to provide an adequate environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and completely lacks a viable fire prevention and suppression plan, exposing our high-risk rural area to catastrophic wildfire dangers. I urge the Commission to protect our environment, safety, and community character by denying this permit.

Sincerely,
Mel McMurrin
20+ year Cobb Mt. resident

I oppose this development.

I am a local resident who lives on Shenandoah Rd, 3 minutes away from this site where it is proposed to expand their marijuana grow and I am very concerned about our Water resources (proposed using an additional 35 million gallons annually). I lost my home during the Valley Fire and we ran out of water to defend our homes without this new expanded Marijuana farm existing.
Deb Helleren

I oppose the permit for this site. While not opposed to small farming in general, cannabis or otherwise, this is an inappropriate site, situated in a quiet residential neighborhood next to a designated sanctuary property. Although the permit application regards preservation of individual tree count through an Oak Mitigation Plan, it does not account for the disruption of the entire ecosystem in the area.

I 100% support new cannabis farms in lake county. I'm a 100% service connected disabled veteran that relies on medical cannabis for an improved quality of life. More cannabis farms means lower prices and more selection. You can make over 25,000 products out of cannabis, we need to grow more not let. Anyone claiming it's going to use a bunch of water clearly doesn't know that cannabis is drought resistant and doesn't use much water. They claim it will cause "noise problems". Since when do plants make noise when they grow? There may be a slight increase in traffic due to the new jobs that are created. We need jobs, we need the increased tax revenue and I support this 100% percent.

I strongly oppose this permit. I believe that the water use, noise, and increases in traffic will only drag down the beauty of the area.

There are plenty of places that are already bustling and ready for expansion, and our area is NOT one of those places. With this in mind, I urge the Commission to deny Use Permit PL-26-115.

Re: Opposition to Use Permit PL-26-115

Dear Members of the Lake County Planning Commission:

I strongly urge the Commission to deny Use Permit PL-26-115.

This proposed cannabis cultivation project would impose significant and lasting impacts on a rural, environmentally sensitive area. The project would increase truck traffic, dust, noise, and road wear on Seigler Springs North Road and Loch Lomond Road, adversely affecting neighboring properties and existing land uses.

I am particularly concerned about the project's potential effects on Seigler Canyon Creek and the surrounding watershed. In a region increasingly challenged by drought and water scarcity, the applicant should be required to demonstrate beyond doubt that water withdrawals will not impair stream flows, groundwater resources, or downstream ecosystems.

The proposal also fails to adequately address wildfire risk. Any large-scale development in this high-fire-danger area should be held to the highest standard for fire prevention, emergency access, evacuation planning, and suppression capability.

In addition, the environmental review appears insufficient to fully evaluate cumulative impacts, impacts on neighboring properties, and the consequences of tree removal at a time when oak woodlands are already under severe stress from drought, disease, and invasive pests.

This project is simply not appropriate for this location. I respectfully request that the Commission deny PL-26-115.

Respectfully,
Andrew Jonathan Dorfman MD

This area is sacred set-apart land, and is used expressly for this purpose. Increased traffic, noise, water and electric use, and much more -- not to mention potential security issues! -- makes cannabis cultivation completely untenable and, in fact, destructive for this area. Surely there are other land tracts available in Lake County where such an enterprise might be appropriate. But this land should not now, nor ever, be made available for this purpose. I STRONGLY OPPOSE this application.

I live and work at the adjacent Sanctuary and Retreat Center, and our well went dry during the drought 3 years ago for the first time in the over 50 years of stewardship of this land. The owners purchase the property without any consideration or discussion with neighbors, put a well at the headwaters of Seigler Canyon Creek which runs through the special sanctuary and feeds our trees and wildlife, perform a woefully inadequate six hours of water testing on a single day, and want to cut down 80 healthy oak trees and run trucks through this sacred land. All of this without the slightest concern for effects of water usage on the creek, run off of chemicals and concentrated compounds used for growing, or willingness to be in relationship with neighbors. Planning commission, there is nothing adequate or right about this application to approve a use permit.

My name is Elliott Mehrbach, and I live at 11785 Loch Lomond Road . I am writing to express my strong opposition to Major Use Permit PL-26-115 (UP 21-17), Seigler Springs North LLC/ Forest Ellie.
As a resident living in the vicinity of this project, I urge the Planning Commission to deny this permit based on substantial environmental and community quality-of-life impacts that cannot be adequately mitigated:
1. The Seigler Springs area features complex, fractured volcanic geology. Our domestic wells rely on these same local aquifers. Overallocation risks drying out neighborhood wells that residents depend on for basic survival.
2. The project parcels sit on hard, rocky, and significantly sloped terrain. Terracing and flattening land will destroy the local topography and remove vital native vegetation. During heavy winter rains, this hillside disturbance risks causing erosion, mudslides, and sediment runoff into local watercourses, directly violating the spirit of Lake County's environmental protection standards.
3. Seigler Springs and the surrounding Kelseyville mountains are located within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Introducing a commercial enterprise that brings increased vehicle traffic, heavy machinery, and seasonal workers onto narrow, winding rural lanes creates a public safety hazard. In the event of wildfire, our limited evacuation routes will be bottlenecked.
For these reasons, this permit is entirely incompatible with the Seigler Springs neighborhood. I respectfully request that the Planning Commission prioritize the protection of local residents, water security, and public safety by denying Major Use Permit PL-26-115.

I am opposed to this cannabis grow. The traffic increase and use of water are not acceptable trade offs.

Because of the increase in traffic along this peaceful country road, not to mention all the water that will be used to support this endeavor I strongly oppose this request for use permit.

I am strongly opposed to Major Use Permit PL-26-115. The additional noise and right next to the Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary would make it difficult for the people who live or go on meditation retreats there. This not to mention the massive water use and pollution. The pesticides that are used in a cannabis grow could pollute the water, the air, and the organic vegetable gardens in the general area.

There are other locations, already set up for this kind of farming, that are for sale, like disused vineyards. It would be better if they move one of those locations.

As a resident of the area for over 3 decades and a homeowner not far from the proposed expansion, I STRONGLY oppose this. The quality of life had been significantly affected even by the existing Pasta Farms cannabis operation. On many nights in the summer, we have to close our windows (when we need them most) because of the whining noise of the industrial fans. The traffic on North Seigler Canyon Rd. has gotten worse, with trucks barreling down the Rd. During the Valley Fire we lost thousands of trees and wildlife habitat and to hear that they want to clear close to 400 trees is just plain bad. I chose to put down my roots here because of the quality of life and hate to see it eroded by industrial scale farms that care little for the surrounding homes. When Snow Lake Vineyards was first created nearby I had a good friend (who happened to die in the Valley Fire) His property was right on the edge of the vineyard and apart from the habitat that was destroyed he was forced to endure pesticides being sprayed right next to his home. This is just a historical example of what residents endure because of these large-scale farming operations. Not to mention the detrimental effect of massive amounts of water being used.

This is sacred indigenous land, both this mountain and the Mountain of Attention. These waters are pristine and flow through the spiritual retreat sanctuary and feed its various hot springs. People come from all over the world for the peace and silence of this transcendentally spiritually empowered sanctuary. I have lived in this neighborhood for 50 years and the sanctuary has been there for 52 years. It is a most precious and beautiful facility that has served thousands of practitioners for decades. The neighborhood is beautiful and peaceful and it would be a terrible disturbance to have any more traffic in this area, dust, or any more precious trees destroyed. So many were destroyed in the Valley Fire. This is a fire threat and a threat to the beauty and sanctity of the sanctuary and all its neighbors.