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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIntro Only - SLO CAL Roots Business PlanCannabis Commercial Business Operator Permit Application Presented to the City of SLO on ,behalf of January29th, 2019 January 29, 2019 City of San Luis Obispo, Community Development Department 919 Palm Street, SLO CA 93041 p: 805.781.7100 Re: Cover letter to accompany Cannabis Commercial Business Operator Permit Application submitted by SloCal Roots, LLC, for property located at 5353 South Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 To City of SLO Community Development Department: SloCal Roots, LLC, hereby submits our application for a cannabis commercial business operator permit. Our group appreciates your careful and thoughtful consideration of the following application, and invites you to reach out to us with any questions or clarification. We want to thank you in advance for your time. SloCal Roots, LLC, is owned by myself, Austen Connella, as well as Stephan Kennedy, Marissa Danielle Saucedo, and Chloe Watkins. My passion has always been in providing in -need patients with a quality product that has been grown organically and sustainability, which is why I incorporate regenerative -agricultural and biodynamic-farming techniques. When forming my application team, it was important to me that I bring on individuals who I know share my passion and vision. We're proud to compete for one of the first cannabis retail permits, and we're confident the City will be proud to have chosen us. The SloCal Roots team is entirely comprised of long standing local San Luis Obispo County residents, which we believe is a tremendous strength, given the unique culture, economy and community of San Luis Obispo. We are confident that our relevant industry experience, well-rounded skill sets, business acumen, financial strength and deep local connections set us apart from other applications I am excited about the opportunity that this industry will bring to San Luis Obispo, and to the individuals, such as myself, who have worked tirelessly, advocating for the legalization and more mainstream acceptance of a product that we have believed in for years. Thank you, Austen Connella slocalroots@gmail.com Table of Contents 01 - Business Operations Plan 1.1 - Business Plan 1.2 - Community Relations Plan 1.3 - State Licenses 1.4 - Tax Compliance 1.5 - Insurance 1.6 - Budget 1.7 - Financial Capacity 1.8 - Products and Services 02 - Community Benefit 03 - Education Plan 04 - Security Plan 05 - Lighting Plan 06 - Site and Floor Plans 07 - Water Efficiency Plan 08 - Odor Control Plan 09 - Hazardous Materials Plan 10 - Energy Efficiency Plan 11 - Addendums 11.1 -Tax Documentation Austen Connella Marissa Saucedo Chloe Watkins 11.2 -Articles of Incorporation 11.3 - News and Media FAMILY <b FARMS SloOCA1, 6;perld SECTION 01 BUSINESS OPERATIONS PLAN FA -MILS' F RM SLO CA4 frrld * SECTION 01 BUSINESS OPERATIONS PLAN Sub Section 1.1 Business Plan SloCal Roots Business Plan Sub Section 1.1 Business Plan Outline: Company Ownership Company Bio Owners' Bios Owners' Income Mission & Goals Market Analysis Compliant Cannabis Business Operations Company Structure Property Ownership Proposed Site Summary and Improvements Hours of Operation Environmental Commitments Community Benefit Commitments Employee Compensation Commitment Advertising and Messages Operations, Best Practice, and Regulatory Compliance Local Enterprise Company Ownership Austen Connella — Company Bio SloCal Roots developed out of SloCal Roots Farms, a leading cultivator of outdoor medical cannabis in San Luis Obispo County. All of SloCal Roots Farms products are sun -grown from clones or seeds in 100% custom -mixed organic living soil, then spring -watered, slow -cured and hand -trimmed. We do NOT use ANY pesticides OR growth hormones. With decades of combined experience in the cannabis industry, the team at SloCal Roots Farms relentlessly pursues industry excellence on behalf of its clients and the environment. Quality control is of paramount importance at our Farm. Owners Bios Austen Connella grew up in SLO County where he graduated from Atascadero High School and attended Cuesta College. He attended San Francisco State University where he studied Entrepreneurship with an academic focus on the developing medical cannabis industry. He has been a medical customer since 2000 and has been cultivating cannabis in accordance with State Law ever since. Austen has started several customer -based groups including his current farm and collective SloCal Roots Farms. Austen was the first applicant for a brick and mortar dispensary in San Luis Obispo County. He worKea cioseiy wim county start Tor z years to aeveiop a cannabis dispensary ordinance and also served on the sub -committee for the City of Morro Bay for the draft cannabis ordinance in 2011. As acting Deputy -Director and founding member of both the SLO NORML chapter and the Central Coast Cannabis Council, Austen is very involved in local cannabis activism, shaping responsible policy and growing the industry. A second generation cannabis farmer, Austen grew up around the cannabis plant and has deep admiration for its medical benefits. He specializes in organic and sustainable farming techniques but also has years of experience in manufacturing and consulting. He has 20 years of experience in indoor, greenhouse, and outdoor cultivation. He specializes in sustainable farming practices and has a considerable knowledge of developing a soil web food system. Austen always strives to implement regenerative agricultural and biodynamic farming techniques in all his project. Stephan Kennedy was born and raised in San Luis Obispo County and graduated from Atascadero High School in 1993. Stephan is a local business owner and operator, founding Lesco Automotive more than 20 years ago. Stephan also owns commercial property throughout SLO County including the proposed dispensary site at 3535 South Higuera. Stephan has always had an open mind about cannabis and when the opportunity to be part owner of SloCal Roots dispensary presented itself, he seized it. Marissa Danielle Saucedo was born and raised in San Luis Obispo County, graduated from San Luis Obispo High School in 2004, and attended Cuesta College. Today she lives in San Luis Obispo. She has experience as a volunteer at Woods Humane Society and in her son's classroom at Laguna Middle School. She's always worked minimum -wage jobs and has managed to raise two children, ages 3 and 13. A single mom, Marissa works in retail food service at Sierra Vista Hospital. Her mother and father both attended Cal Poly and today her father, Jamie Saucedo, runs his own roofing business. Marissa's mother is a cancer survivor. Marissa became familiar with the medicinal qualities of cannabis while helping her mother deal with chemotherapy, during which her mom ingested edibles and smoked medicinal flower to help ameliorate the effects of the treatment. Chloe Watkins moved to the Central Coast about five years ago when she was offered an opportunity to work for Austen Connella on his farm. She quickly fell in love with the Central Coast and her job serving medical cannabis patients. Over the last 6 months she has been working for one of the 2 local dispensaries in the County, which has given her a passion for helping provide people with an alternative way of dealing with serious medical ailments. She feels fortunate to have the opportunity to, once again, work with Austen at SloCal Roots' new dispensary location, and to share in the ownership of this booming new industry. She looks forward to working hard and providing an amazing service to the community of San Luis Obispo. Owners' Income SloCal Roots principles, Austen Connella, Marissa Saucedo, and Chloe Watkins, have historically, and at the time of this application, earned household income level. Please reference the Tax Compliance section for additional compliance information. Mission & Goals Afters spending so many years working with local municipalities in an effort to open a medical cannabis storefront in San Luis Obispo County, the opportunity is finally here. SloCal roots is jumping at the chance to open a cannabis storefront in the City of San Luis Obispo. Austen and his team of individuals with extensive industry experience are prepared to bring the City a top notch, state of the art, cannabis storefront. Austen has been preparing for this day since 2010, it is probable that no local operator is more prepared for operating a cannabis store. Once chosen, SloCal Roots will continue its passion for cannabis and will share this love of cannabis with the people of San Luis Obispo. Our goal is to provide the best cannabis, facilities, service, and education. By achieving our goals, SloCal Roots will continually raise the bar for cannabis in San Luis Obispo. Market Analysis Compliant Cannabis Business Operations SloCal Roots Primary Principal, Austen Connella, has operated a compliant cannabis business in SLO County for 8 years as a commercial cannabis cultivator and Prop 215 Delivery Service operator. The principals of SloCal Roots have always operated their businesses according to California State law. Neither SloCal Roots Farms nor its owners have ever received a code -violation or infraction of any kind during their many years of cannabis business operations. Company Structure SloCal Roots LLC is registered in the State of California. Property Ownership SloCal Roots LLC has control of the proposed dispensary property. Please see the purchase agreement in the end of this section. Proposed Site Summary and Improvements SloCal Roots proposes a complete overhaul of the property at 3535 South Higuera St. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Proposed improvements include a complete renovation of the building. The building will be converted into a perfect example of a cannabis retail operation. With facade improvements, security improvements, the addition of artistic elements, a complete remodeling of the interior and an extensive re -landscaping with drought tolerant plants, this little known building will become a shining star in its neighborhood. Please see Section 6: Site and Floor Plans. Proposed Hours of Operation SloCal Roots will be open from 10am to 8pm daily. Environmental Benefits SloCall Roots proposes the following environmental benefits: Energy Efficient Appliances Bike racks for at least 8 bikes LED Lighting Employee Competition for Least amount of miles driven and financial rewards for riding bikes to work. SloCall Roots will apply for a green building certification. Community Benefits Commitments It is an important part of SloCall Roots corporate culture to treat all individuals with equal respect and provide equal opportunity for all people regardless of race, color, ancestry, age, genetics, gender, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disease, sexuality, religion, or any other class of individual. SloCall Roots also plans many social outreach programs including educational outreach programs, neighborhood outreach programs, public health outreach programs, and more. (See section 2.0 Community Benefit) Employee Compensation Commitment SloCal Roots promises to provide a rate of pay for entry level and mid level positions that is at least 40% more than the median local income for similar positions in other mainstream businesses. SloCal Roots will exceed minimum wage by at least $3.00/hr. SloCal Roots is obligated to allow "labor peace agreement" at 20 or more non -management employees. Advertising and Messages SloCal roots maintains a goal of education. This goal will lead us to work on messaging campaigns to inform the public about the dangers of cannabis and minors as well as the danger of Cannabis Use Disorder. SloCal roots will make all reasonable efforts to prevent persons under the age of 21 from having access to cannabis. No customer of member of SloCal Roots may provide cannabis to anyone under the age of 21. SloCal Roots will ensure that all advertising and media is directed at adiences 21 years of age and older. Cartoons or other images and themes that are appealing to children will not be used in any part of SloCal Roots operations, neither will the words "candy" and "candies" be used. Operations, Best Practices, and Regulatory Compliance