Medical marijuana distribution facility gets permit in Costa Mesa

A medical marijuana distribution facility proposed for Costa Mesa cleared a major hurdle Monday night as the city Planning Commission granted a necessary permit.

Commissioners voted unanimously to award the conditional use permit to CMX Distribution, which plans to move into 4,722 square feet of existing industrial warehouse space at 3505 Cadillac Ave. — in a business complex just east of the Santa Ana River.

That decision is final unless appealed to the City Council within seven days. Even if the permit stands, CMX needs to secure a handful of final city approvals before opening its doors, according to city staff.

CMX would be a distribution facility for medical cannabis products. Its building space would include offices, parking for delivery trucks, an order preparation area and secured storage.

Distribution is necessary so businesses can get their hands on safe and high-quality material to sell, said project applicant Robert Taft Jr., who lives in Costa Mesa and owns 420 Central, a licensed medical marijuana facility in Santa Ana.

“We’re open, and we need products in the store,” he said.

To secure the site, CMX plans to install cameras, lighting, alarms and other features. Cannabis also will be stored in a secure room that only authorized personnel can access.

Per city rules, no one younger than 21 would be allowed at the facility, and cannabis could not be consumed on the premises at any time. Employees will be required to wear identification badges at all times.

Following voter passage of Costa Mesa’s Measure X last year, businesses that research, test, process and manufacture some medical marijuana products are allowed to set up shop in the area north of South Coast Drive, west of Harbor Boulevard, south of MacArthur Boulevard and east of the Santa Ana River, though not in South Coast Collection.

The measure did not affect the city’s standing ban on retail sales of marijuana and marijuana products.

Given that all medical marijuana businesses will be subject to stringent security measures, Jim Fitzpatrick — a Costa Mesa resident and former planning commissioner who spoke on behalf of the applicant — said he believes the Measure X zone “is going to be the safest part of Costa Mesa.”

Some residents, though, said they’re concerned the city isn’t prepared to handle security and code enforcement issues that could arise from such operations.

Commission Chairman Stephan Andranian, however, said he thinks city staff “asked for pretty comprehensive security measures with regards to this application” and that CMX has “checked all the boxes” in his mind.

CMX is the second medical marijuana business to secure a permit from the commission.

Last month, commissioners unanimously signed off on a proposal from Shepard Investments Inc. to open a medical marijuana extraction facility at 3590 Cadillac Ave. — about a third of a mile from the CMX site.

According to city staff, CMX and Shepard Investments Inc. have to obtain final fire prevention, finance and building safety approvals, as well as sign-off from the city’s community improvement division, before opening.

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