The proposed amendments also remove a provision that prohibited cannabis business from being located adjacent to a residential zone or zone where a shared side property line. Should it abut a residential use or zone, a minimum 6-foot tall fence and 6-foot deep evergreen planting strip at 7 feet tall would be required.

Proximity to parks, playgrounds would be reduce

The proximity to a park or playground that a cannabis retailer would be allowed to operate would be reduced from 500 feet to 300 feet. The ordinance also eliminates a restriction of cannabis retailers in drug-free zones and excludes youth centers and day care from a 1,000-foot restriction. Cannabis retailers would still be prohibited from locating within 1,000 feet of a school, or property owned or leased by any school.

Interested cannabis business owners expressed concerns about the limited area that retail was permitted, according to Daniel Lee, director of engineering and land use, and sought clarity on the application process.  A review was undertaken to see if there were any areas that could be revised to ensure that cannabis retail zones were “not overly encumbered by zoning or buffer restrictions” and “to provide a clearer application process.”

B-2 and B-3 zones are located along Route 27 and Route 1&9 and nearly all of the properties in those zones have frontage on both the state routes and local roads, in addition to abutting residential properties. “Enforcement of the original ordinance would require variances for most properties, making the approval process restrictive and essentially go against the purpose of adopting the ordinance in the first place,” Lee said via email,  and so the residential abutment requirement was revised.

Barnett Street residents raise concerns

The governing body last month approved a resolution “authorizing municipal support and preference” for Plantabis Dispensary, LLC to receive a Class 5 Cannabis Retail License from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) to operate in the city. Plantabis seeks a retail license from the state to operate at 2077 Route 1 and needs support of the city. City Council adopted a similar resolution in December 2021 for two retail operations that never materialized.

Several residents of nearby Barnett Street spoke during the public portion of the March 13 City Council meeting, expressing concerns about the proximity of the cannabis retail facility to their residential neighborhood. Mayor Ray Giacobbe, Jr. explained that if Plantabis is ultimately awarded a license by the state, the entity would still have to gain approval from the Planning Board.