The application for a 40-acre cannabis cultivation site on the east side of Highway 101 in Santa Maria has been withdrawn.
The project was facing opposition from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District because it was set to be located about 900 feet away from the district's new Agricultural and Career Technical Education Center.
On Tuesday, the company that submitted the application released the following statement:
Stateside Greens, the applicant for the proposed cannabis project located adjacent to the new Santa Maria School District Agricultural Education Facility has been withdrawn. CEO of Stateside Greens, Michael Salman has stated, “My intention was never to create issues for the community, but rather create a positive footprint in the cannabis industry by bringing a good project forward, creating jobs, and doing this the right way. After almost a year’s effort to create a great project and now that the School District administration has made clear to the media their extreme displeasure at the possibility of being our neighbor, I have decided to withdraw the project. I am still in pursuit in bringing a positive cannabis project to the community and will continue in that effort.”
The application was in the process of being reviewed by the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department.
Upon learning of the project's withdrawal, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District issued the following statement:
“We are very happy about the news. We will continue to focus our efforts on providing the best learning experience possible, in a safe environment, for all of our students.”
