Reggae on the River 2019 Use Permit Modification

prospective

A modification to an approved Special Event Use Permit authorizing annual operation of the Reggae on the River Music Festival (ROTR), a three-day event held each year from Friday through Sunday during the first weekend of August. In 2018, the Mateel Community Center signed a contract with High Times Productions, who have assumed primary responsibility for management and operation of the event, beginning with last year’s festival. In compliance with annual permit requirements, a post event wrap up & monitoring report was prepared and circulated to various agencies in January, and coordination with a number of these agencies remains ongoing. Event attendance is currently limited to 6,500 ticket holders and 2,500 staff, performers and others. No increase in attendance levels is being sought at this time. Authorization for the following modifications to the permit are currently being sought: 1. Parking of up to 2,500 vehicles at the County Line Ranch (formerly Dimmick), instead of using off-site parking areas at Benbow and Richardson Grove RV Park and Campground; 2. Erection of a stage and Late Night Music Area at Center Beach operating from midnight to 4am during each night of the festival; and 3. Establishment and operation of a cannabis vending and consumption area (Cannabis Village), pursuant to section 314-55.4.10.4 of Humboldt County Code, which authorizes Temporary Special Events of this sort. Where locally authorized, Temporary Special Events featuring cannabis-related concessions and consumption within discrete areas (premises) are subject to licensing through the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC). Pursuant to Humboldt County Code and section 26200(e) of the California Business and Professions Code, access to the cannabis event premises may only be granted to persons 21 years of age or older, and sales and consumption of Alcohol or Tobacco is prohibited within the concessions & consumption area. The Use Permit was last modified in 2018 (CUP-12-17MM), extending the term of approval for five additional years, through 2022. A previously approved Special Permit (SP12-030MM) authorizes annual placement of a temporary flat-car bridge across the South Fork of the Eel River, to provide for access to the festival grounds by vehicles and pedestrians. The parcel is served by on-site water which may be supplemented by water supplied by nearby community service districts. Sewage disposal for the events is provided by portable toilets and an on-site Graywater system. The same traffic control measures are proposed along Highway 101 as in previous years. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was certified for the original project in 1992 (SCH 92-033305). A Supplemental EIR was certified for earlier versions of the project in 2005 and 2008 (SCH 92-033035). A second Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (FSEIR) was certified for the project on January 3, 2013 (SCH #2012082108) and an Addendum to the second supplemental EIR was prepared in 2018. An additional Addendum has been prepared for the permit modification currently requested.

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