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Colorado - With the city's moratorium on the decision to allow recreational marijuana stores half gone, Aurora's ad hoc Amendment 64 committee is preparing to present its first round of research to the full city council at a special study session Dec. 2. As of now, there are no plans to recommend a lift on the May 5, 2014 moratorium. If anything, the suspension could continue in order for the committee to fine-tune their detailed research on the mysterious and controversial industry.
"It's like starting a brand new business with no instructions," Councilwoman Molly Markert said. The dilemma for the committee, she said, has been deciding how many retail marijuana stores should be allowed in the city, and where to place them. After finalizing the cap at 20 stores within city limits, the three-person committee made up of council members Markert, chairman Bob Roth and Barbara Cleland continued to debate how that would be implemented without conflict.
"We have a lot of lingering issues," Cleland said. "We need to figure out how the first 20 retailers are decided, and then we may consider regulations for those applicants." Off the top of her head, Cleland mentioned that Aurora could require a submitted business plan upfront as a step for retail pot businesses to get into the city. She said with so many questions unanswered, the deadline may very well need to be extended past May 5.
At the Amendment 64 regular committee meeting Nov. 19, Cleland also noted that to hit that deadline to allow existing medical marijuana stores the opportunity to apply for a business license in Aurora, city council needs to have an application system in place by February because it typically takes two or three months to get an ordinance change through full council. That means the committee needs to have comprehensive recommendations for things like zoning, advertising, signage and licensing – all components that have taken several months for the group to wrap their own heads around.
In October, the committee loosened its previous September resolution to have a 1,000-foot buffer zone between any operating medical marijuana stores and sensitive institutions like schools, hospitals and religious meeting places to 500 feet. The committee also decided to run with a 5,000-foot buffer between all retail marijuana shops at that meeting. Aurora voters previously rejected a measure to allow medical marijuana stores in the city, which are the only businesses that can apply to sell recreational marijuana in Aurora. That's only if six members of Aurora City Council vote to change the ordinance to allow existing medical pot vendors to apply to set up a retail business in Aurora in May.
Colorado law allows only new marijuana businesses to apply for a license in July with an opening date at the end of October at the very earliest. The Aurora ad hoc committee has decided that anyone interested in opening a retail store in the city would need to hold a state medical license already. "If you're a brand new business, you've got a long time to wait before you can get into Aurora," Cleland said.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Denverpost.com
Author: Megan Mitchell
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Website: Aurora debates numbers, application system for recreational marijuana shops - The Denver Post
"It's like starting a brand new business with no instructions," Councilwoman Molly Markert said. The dilemma for the committee, she said, has been deciding how many retail marijuana stores should be allowed in the city, and where to place them. After finalizing the cap at 20 stores within city limits, the three-person committee made up of council members Markert, chairman Bob Roth and Barbara Cleland continued to debate how that would be implemented without conflict.
"We have a lot of lingering issues," Cleland said. "We need to figure out how the first 20 retailers are decided, and then we may consider regulations for those applicants." Off the top of her head, Cleland mentioned that Aurora could require a submitted business plan upfront as a step for retail pot businesses to get into the city. She said with so many questions unanswered, the deadline may very well need to be extended past May 5.
At the Amendment 64 regular committee meeting Nov. 19, Cleland also noted that to hit that deadline to allow existing medical marijuana stores the opportunity to apply for a business license in Aurora, city council needs to have an application system in place by February because it typically takes two or three months to get an ordinance change through full council. That means the committee needs to have comprehensive recommendations for things like zoning, advertising, signage and licensing – all components that have taken several months for the group to wrap their own heads around.
In October, the committee loosened its previous September resolution to have a 1,000-foot buffer zone between any operating medical marijuana stores and sensitive institutions like schools, hospitals and religious meeting places to 500 feet. The committee also decided to run with a 5,000-foot buffer between all retail marijuana shops at that meeting. Aurora voters previously rejected a measure to allow medical marijuana stores in the city, which are the only businesses that can apply to sell recreational marijuana in Aurora. That's only if six members of Aurora City Council vote to change the ordinance to allow existing medical pot vendors to apply to set up a retail business in Aurora in May.
Colorado law allows only new marijuana businesses to apply for a license in July with an opening date at the end of October at the very earliest. The Aurora ad hoc committee has decided that anyone interested in opening a retail store in the city would need to hold a state medical license already. "If you're a brand new business, you've got a long time to wait before you can get into Aurora," Cleland said.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Denverpost.com
Author: Megan Mitchell
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Website: Aurora debates numbers, application system for recreational marijuana shops - The Denver Post
