At their Tuesday night meeting (4-7-16), the Assembly unanimously approved, on first reading, a zone text change that requires marijuana businesses to obtain a conditional use permit (CPU) before setting up shop. Under this process, the business owner needs to undergo a public hearing before the Planning Commission once a year to keep his or her permit.
See full ordinance here:Marijuana Ord 2016-11. The amendment allows marijuana activities in the Central Business District (CBD), Gary Paxton Special District (GP), Industrial Zoning Districts (I), General Commercial (C-1), General Commercial Mobile Home (C-2), Waterfront (WD), Large Island (LI), and General Island (GI) Zoning Districts.
The Assembly is considering a city-wide requirement that marijuana businesses obtain a conditional use permit to operate. (Andy Rak Construction)
In a memo, city planners described the conditional use proposal as a “compromise” between the Marijuana Advisory Committee and the Planning Commission. “Conditional use permit approvals are based on plans submitted, which provides a level of control over where and how businesses may be established and operate,” the memo reads.
Hopeful cannabis grower Aaron Bean opposed this measure, saying that horticulture is already permitted use in some areas and that cultivating marijuana is no different than growing other plants.
Bean told the Assembly, “Rather than having this blanket conditional use permit across all industrial and commercial zones, consider that we should have the conditional use permit used only for the CBD (commercial business district) downtown.”
But Assemblyman Bob Potrzuski, who served a liaison to the six-month Marijuana Advisory Committee, supported conditional use. He said, “Kind of one of the things that really swayed me was that, if you want to start a daycare center or child care, conditional use permits are required for every single one. So I kind of figured, ‘Well, if it’s good enough for daycare, it’s good enough for this new business coming in.’”
At their April 7th meeting, the Gary Paxton Board of Directors voted against awarding conditional use permits for marijuana business at the park. The vote was 2-2, with members Charles Horan and Dan Jones voting against.
