LOS OLIVOS TOWN HALL TO FOCUS ON MEDICAL-MARIJUANA DISPENSARY

Rumors about a medical-marijuana dispensary possibly opening in Los Olivos
spurred residents and organizations to join together to prevent any from
setting up shop in town.

The Preservation of Los Olivos (POLO) group will be hosting a meeting
at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Grange Hall, 2374 Alamo Pintado Ave., to
discuss a plan of action to present to the Santa Barbara County Board
of Supervisors on Dec. 9.

"We are hoping we have a unified view from the community regarding the
direction we give the Board of Supervisors, so we don't end up with
dispensaries just popping up," said Dennis Shoen, member of POLO.

The county has not passed an ordinance banning pot clinics in
unincorporated communities, such as Los Olivos or Santa Ynez. However
Buellton, Solvang Santa Maria and other Central Coast cities have
passed ordinances which temporarily prohibit the establishment of
storefront dispensaries.

Los Olivos falls under Santa Barbara County jurisdiction, according to
Kim Probert, of the county planning department.

"The purpose of meeting is to get community input about medical
marijuana dispensaries and present the research we have found. What we
have come up with is there are 22 dispensaries in Santa Barbara, which
is twice the number of Starbucks within their city limits," Shoen said.

Through POLO's research, more than 50 percent of people who frequent
the dispensaries reportedly are under 30 years old, and he said it
seemed it was for more recreational use than pain management.

"At this meeting we will have a presentation about the medical
marijuana situation regarding what is happening in Santa Barbara and
outside of California at states who have legalized some form of
medical marijuana use," Shoen said.

Other reports circulated regarding a medical-marijuana dispensary at
the former shoe store on the corner of Edison Street and Madera Street
in Santa Ynez, but there have been no applications submitted to Santa
Barbara County Planning Department for tenant improvement permits,
Probert said.

The building at 1050 Edison St. is zoned C-2 retail commercial, and
according to Probert, a dispensary falls under that category so no
zoning permits would be needed to open.

Guillermo Medina, owner of the building which currently houses an art
gallery, a hair-styling salon, three apartments and his own
chiropractic office, said there has not been a dispensary there, nor
will there be one.

However, Probert said that a building inspector had noticed
construction activity at the old shoe store location and alerted
County Planning to question if permits had been submitted.

"Even though we are in the unincorporated part of the county, we can
have still have some type of say about what happens in our community,"
Shoen said.

A medical-marijuana dispensary in Old Town Orcutt was rejected by the
building's owner despite approval from Santa Barbara County in July.

Neighbors and local business owners grew concerned when they received
a letter stating the county had approved a land-use permit for the
dispensary on West Clark Avenue.

At the time of the permit approval, Wellness Center Commercial Center
had a lease agreement of approval from Orcutt Trade Center owner Greti
Croft, according to county planning documents.

Once notices were delivered, Croft said, she was deluged with phone
calls from her tenants and fellow Orcutt residents. Croft said once
she realized her new tenant would be a marijuana dispensary, she
canceled the agreement.

For more information, visit http://www.polosyv.org.

Staff writer Samantha Womack contributed to this story.