Nipomo pot shop proposal heads to planning commission

July 3, 2015

med potSan Luis Obispo County planners are recommending approval of a Santa Cruz woman’s plan to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Nipomo near the Santa Barbara County line.

At its July 9 meeting, the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission will discuss Stephanie Kiel’s dispensary proposal. Kiel is the owner of Watsonville-based mobile dispensary Ethnobotanica, which delivers to Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.

She is proposing a storefront dispensary at 2122 Hutton Road near highways 101 and 166. Kiel’s plans call for the dispensary to occupy a 2,636 square-foot commercial office suite within an 11,675 square-foot building.

Kiel estimates the dispensary will generate yearly sales of between $3 million and $8 million. She must obtain a minor use permit from the county in order to open the business.

In February, the South County Advisory Council voted 8-2 against the project. Advisory council members said they have public safety concerns with the dispensary proposal due to the possibility of it causing increased crime and the limited availability of sheriff’s deputies in the area.

But, county planners say the dispensary, as proposed, will not be detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the general public or the people working or living in the area. Conditions placed on the dispensary would require it to operate only between the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., and plans call for an onsite security guard to be present 10 hours a day and seven days a week.

If the planning commission’s decision is appealed, the proposal will go before the board of supervisors. The board has rejected all three previous applications for storefront dispensaries in the county.


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If gays can get married, which doesn’t bother me, then I should be able to buy some pot legitimately.


I am in the wrong line of business. That’s a lot of money to be made.


I need to find a CentralcoastMD to open a clinic right next door to this dispensary. I could generate all KINDS of business and make serious dollars. Oh, you have anxiety? Here’s your 420 card. “Back pain” you say? Happy 420. That knuckle looks swollen, I bet you’ve got arthritis. Yep, ol’ Mary Jane’ll cure ya.


Those medical marijuana licenses expire every year I believe, so I would have quite the business.


Don’t you all thumbs down me. I vote we open up a complex out in Nipomo. Get a bakery going with 420 goodies, a restaurant to feed those hungry hurting people, a smoke shop for all those accessories. Opportunities are endless.


I’m all for smoken a little ghanjah wen u can get it, but come on man, stick downtown SLO with a pot shop first before you pick on poor old Nipomo. Morro Bay gets a cool coastal bridge from the Feds and we get a stoner store. Oh well, we ARE the arm pit of San Luis County. Come on Lynn, throw us a couple of bike trails so we can work off our Haggen Daas bellies. Tanks brudda – pas dat J.


So no to drugs.


Does that include the biggest thieves the pharmaceutical companies?


only way one will pass is if one of the board members has a hand in it, but who knows, its definitely about time


If this is even on the radar screen for approval, it should be centrally located within the county. I’d suggest somewhere on Kansas Ave.


How about within the county building that houses our BOS offices? That way Mr. Hill and Mr. Gibson wouldn’t have to go to far, their use of MJ would certainly explain their behavior.


moronic comment alert.


Guess I should run for the SLO city council then, taking your thoughts I would fit right in.


Lighten up world. No wonder we are so screwed up, people have no sense of humor left, especially irony, such a sad way to go through life.


How about we take all the confiscated weed of these Panga boats and start selling it to fix our infrastructure. After all it is legal.


Not until folks in prison for having it are pardoned.