In a sign of the dramatically shifting landscape of San Joaquin Valley agriculture, the iconic and long-abandoned Lindsay Olive factory will find new life as a cannabis cultivation facility.
Earlier this month, Lindsay City Council members unanimously approved a conditional use permit, clearing the way for 10,000 square feet of the once-bustling olive plant to grow another green crop.
The business is expected to create as many as 20 jobs and bring up to $80,000 to the city's coffers each year, officials said. That's enough to fund a police officer's salary, purchase a couple of cruisers, or "a hundred other types of services," Lindsay City Manager Joe Tanner said.
Though a far cry from the 500 people that the olive processor employed at its peak — earning Lindsay the nickname "The Olive Capital of the World" — city leaders said they were eager to see the vacant building be productive again.
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