DHS breaks ground on new marijuana cultivation site
For about two decades, Brent Burhman has been in the business of cultivating marijuana, serving as CEO of Seed to Soul Farms.
But Buhrman said Thursday was a long day coming, as he and dozens of others broke ground on a new marijuana cultivation site in Desert Hot Springs.
Desert Hot Springs is the first city to issue cultivation licenses.
“It actually feels a little surreal to be standing here to be honest with you,” Buhrman said standing at the site near Little Morongo and Kranshire Roads. “Today [Thursday] was a culmination of almost 30 years of passionately believing in this plant.”
Buhrman said 3 greenhouses are expected to be built on 15 acres, totaling to about 210,000 square feet in the city.
Developers said they believe the project will add to the growing medicinal marijuana industry in the Coachella Valley, and also the potentially recreational industry, if recreational use in the state is passed this November.
“They will benefit from the fact that these guys are able to grow it here, and they’re able to grow it legally,” Southern California Cultivation Project Manager David Snider said. “And with our sophisticated, industrial, greenhouse facility here, it’s going to be a very high quality product that they can produce for their patients.”
Project leaders said Thursday’s groundbreaking was just the beginning, as the city hopes to see more cultivation sites in the future.
“We’ve got beautiful views, we’ve got the hot water, (and) we have an industry that’s brand new to the state of California that’s going to step out of the gray area and into the public light, and be able to do it legally,” Desert Hot Springs Mayor Scott Matas said.
Other partners with the project include the Desert Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the California Canna Coalition.
City leaders said developers still have to go through some final building permits.
They expect to start construction by the end of August, and have the site complete by January 1st.
