Construction on two proposed cannabis facilities in Lompoc could start as early as 2023, following both projects’ recent approvals from the city’s Planning Commission.
During the Planning Commission’s Sept. 22 meeting, city officials voted to approve a 68,100-square-foot site called the Mustang Cannabis Facility, which will incorporate several different lots to be used for cannabis growing, processing, manufacturing, distribution, administration, and storage.
The Mustang lots will be located on currently undeveloped land located adjacent to North O Street, Cordoba Avenue, and Aviation Drive in Lompoc. The facility is expected to provide approximately 30 new full-time jobs, according to the city of Lompoc.
In an email to the Sun, Lompoc Planning Manager Brian Halvorson described the Mustang project as the first of its kind to be approved by the city’s Planning Commission, but added that an even larger facility, the Organic Liberty Cannabis Project, was approved only a few weeks later, during the Oct. 13 meeting.
Similar to the Mustang facility, the Organic Liberty site (an approximately 91,000-square-foot two-story building) will be used for several cannabis operations, including cultivation, distribution, administration, and other purposes. The first floor of the building will contain manufacturing and processing facilities, main office areas, and storage areas, while the second floor will primarily be used for the site’s nursery.
Also similar to Mustang, the project site for Organic Liberty is slated for currently undeveloped land, described as adjacent to West Central Avenue and Barton Avenue in Lompoc.
According to the Planning Commission’s staff report on Organic Liberty, the property will not be open to the public for on-site retail sale, as the company will only sell cannabis products to state-licensed facilities on a wholesale basis. The report also states that the project will create up to 65 full-time jobs and 15 part-time jobs.
The staff reports on both Mustang and Organic Liberty mutually indicate that each site will contain its own variety of new drought-tolerant landscaping and trees along its street frontages and within its parking areas.
Although the projects were approved by the Lompoc Planning Commission within a month of one another, Halvorson expects a gap between their construction start dates, he explained via email.
“As for construction of the Mustang facility, it will probably be at least one to two years before you may see this one under construction,” Halvorson said. “For Organic Liberty, since it is larger, it might be closer to two years for that facility. Of course, all of these are estimates.”
