Arvin City Council approves development of cannabis manufacturing facility

July 21, 2021 /

The Arvin City Council unanimously approved last week the development of a cannabis manufacturing facility.

The council approved the development agreement between the City of Arvin, FSBT Holdings, and Jam Realty Holdings, the owner of the property, for the development of a commercial cannabis operation, located on South Derby Street. LEEF Holdings, a cannabis company, will rent the property.

“Our goal is to bring cultivation in house,” said Micah Anderson, CEO of LEEF Holdings. “We see Arvin being a great location to bring that material to prepare for the extraction process.”

The manufacturing facility is for cannabis-based medicinals and therapeutics, according to documents.

The company projects this operation will bring in $4.3 million to Arvin in gross tax revenue over the next five years. They also anticipate on offering 30-40 full-time jobs with benefit packages. Lastly, LEEF anticipates the operations will bring in $100,000 in unrestricted community benefit funds to the City of Arvin.

“One of the values of our company is we keep going into more and more municipalities,” said Anderson. “Being good stewards in the local area and local economy is something we take seriously.”

Last year the company raised $25,000 for firefighters and $10,000 for the police department in other cities LEEF operates in. Anderson said he plans to do take similar actions for the City of Arvin.

The building the operations will take place in, located at 744 Derby St., is going to get some upgrades. The development project includes the incorporation of landscaping and beautification along the front of the building and private fencing surrounding the property.

The company claims the project will bring in millions of dollars in operating costs, “which creates opportunities for local businesses.” The large development project also creates opportunities for local tradespeople and supply houses.

Documents shows the developers requested four Commercial Cannabis permits for this project: an indoor cultivation permit; manufacturer 2-manufacturing of cannabis products using volatile solvents permit; delivery only permit; and distributor permits.

Anderson told the Arvin City Council LEEF will begin planting crops in the Spring of 2022.

Erica Murillo

Erica Murillo is a project coordinator and reporter at South Kern Sol. She was born in Bakersfield, California, and her origin is from Guanajuato, Mexico. She is a first-generation graduate from California State University, Bakersfield where she earned a degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in English. Murillo's first job was working in the fields picking grapes. She has been able to evolve and continue to grow within her career. She can be reached at erica@southkernsol.org.