Town’s indoor cannabis growing houses may reach half million square feet
-April 1,2019-
Pot manufactures and distributors are getting more numerous and their footprints larger around Woodlake, arguably the cannabis capital of Tulare County. Unlike most Valley towns, Woodlake has encouraged both retail dispensaries and distribution-oriented manufacturers to locate here, in a town once more famous for rodeos.
Today Woodlake is riding a horse of a different color- mostly green.
This week the Woodlake City Council approved the tripling in size of one company under construction in town – Green Smart Farmer whose partner, Vally Pure, operates a dispensary here. The company intends to expand the existing Cannabis Cultivation, Manufacturing and Distribution Facility with the building of two 75,600 square foot buildings, for an additional 151,200 square feet of cannabis space and the installation of a parking lot with approximately 70 parking spots.They already have a 75,000sf facility on the same parcel located next to US Tower. That brings the total square footage of Green Start Farmer’s proposed facilities to an impressive 225,000sf
At the build-out for this company, they will employ 10-20 full time staff and will operate from 8am to 5pm, up to seven days a week. Twenty additional delivery trucks per week are anticipated, says a city staff report.
But there is plenty more.
Green Bean Pharm will soon open a second dispensary in town in the old High Sierra Lumber building sometime this spring says the city’s chief planner Jason Waters.
On the commercial side including cultivation, distribution and manufacturing the list of companies continues to grow although Waters points out”none of them are in operation as of yet” so he suggests Woodlake is not yet counting what a pile of fees and taxes could come their way once operations begin.
While Woodlake is not slowing these projects down, the same can’t be said for the state who is slow to finalize some permits says Waters.
According to Waters Woodlake cannabis companies with construction permits include,Green Smart Farmer, 7Points Development, Platinum Gardens, Uncle Green, Premium Extracts and Top Crop – all underway with construction activities at various stages. Some like 7points are nearing operation.
In a new transaction the City Council March 25 approved the sale of 18 acres, planted to olives, from the City to a pot related development company, Community Holdings ,Inc, who want to develop a new industrial park(both cannabis and non cannabis development) along Ropes near where other projects are underway. The parcel has been annexed recently with 40 acres to be used for city water recharge.
The City purchased the entire 58 acres and paid $1.3 million. Now the City has received an offer from Community Holdings, LLC to purchase the 18-acre olive orchard (already zoned for industrial use) for the purchase price of $340,000 plus an additional note $1,360,000 due January 1, 2022 and secured by a deed of trust on the property.
Community Holdings,LLC is an affiliate of 7Points Group, already with a major presence in the city.7Points Development has been improving an existing citrus packing facility – the abandoned Sun Pacific packing house- closed for some 7 years, to accommodate a 116,320 square foot cannabis cultivation and distribution facility. A second phase would increase growing space another 55,000sf.The company would employ 15 to 20. The name 7Points refers to the cannabis leaves.
The pot operation was slated be the largest indoor growing square footage to date in Tulare County, about the size of a Costco warehouse.
The development required another annexation of the 8-acre parcel into the city limits. Located on Ave 344 near SR 216, surrounded by a sea of citrus trees, the commercial cannabis growing enterprise is one of a half dozen in the works or under construction in this foothill town better known for sweet oranges and as we mentioned, rodeos.
With new construction pending for the 225,000sf GreenSmart Farmer facilities, the totals in town are getting bigger.Green Smart Farmer might now be classified as the biggest, once built. Another large operation under construction is Uncle Green, at around 116,000sf.
Once they become operational, the half dozen cannabis companies building in Woodlake could reach over a half a million square feet of space – green space.