Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The future for cannabis dispensaries in Davis is quickly taking shape. The Davis City Council will pore over a new ordinance for dispensary zoning at their upcoming meeting this Tuesday.
Dispensaries looking to open in downtown Davis could benefit from the latest version of the ordinance. City staffers dropped a requirement that retailers include a lobby entry-point in their stores. If the ordinance is approved, dispensaries will be able to open within 1,000 feet of one another as well.
The latest rules also give the council more discretion in approving dispensaries that hope to open within 600 feet of a park, school or green belt.
Familiar restrictions on zoning are still included in the ordinance, prohibiting dispensaries from opening in residential districts but allowing them to open in almost every other zoning area. All dispensaries also would be required to receive a conditional-use permit, approved by the council.
The number of dispensaries allowed in Davis would be capped at four – for a trial period of 18 months – under the ordinance. That number is in accordance with a one-per-15,000-population calculation preferred by city staff.
That limit will not include delivery-only services, which also will be banned from placing headquarters in residential areas.
City staffers are recommending that the council prohibit on-site cannabis consumption, despite interest that the council expressed in the past.
As per the recommendation of Mayor Robb Davis, each cannabis retailer will be required to display signs warning international visitors of potential legal dangers surrounding cannabis.
The warning message states:
"Purchasing, smoking, ingesting or consuming cannabis or cannabis products is at your own risk. Cannabis consumption and possession may be prohibited under the laws, regulations and policies of local, state, and federal entities, including employers, schools, and federal visas. Please use extreme caution."
Since the window opened in July, the city has received three pre-applications from prospective dispensaries, and had discussions with at least six other applicants that indicated they likely will submit a full-fledged application in the fall.
They are:
* California Grown, Inc. at 1605 Second St.;
* Davis Cannabis Company at 1221 Third St.; and
* River City Phoenix Davis at 1100 West Chiles Road.
The window for dispensaries looking to apply to open in Davis will be open Sept. 27 to Oct. 13. Once the applications are gathered, city staffers will process them all at once and put them before the council in early 2018 for conditional-use-permit approval.
The council also will consider launching a "Cannabis Community Benefit Program." A recent city staff report cites Sacramento policies as an example, which send 1 percent of all cannabis business receipts toward a benefit program.
The program could help fund social services for homeless individuals, addiction resources, neighborhood cleanliness and beautification, or street safety upgrades, according to the report.
If the dispensary ordinance is approved Tuesday, the zoning changes would go into effect on Oct. 12.
Next up on the cannabis front are regulatory fees, which are expected to be set at the council's Sept. 12 meeting.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis is on the menu at upcoming council meeting
Author: Felicia Alvarez
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Davis Enterprise | Yolo County, California
Dispensaries looking to open in downtown Davis could benefit from the latest version of the ordinance. City staffers dropped a requirement that retailers include a lobby entry-point in their stores. If the ordinance is approved, dispensaries will be able to open within 1,000 feet of one another as well.
The latest rules also give the council more discretion in approving dispensaries that hope to open within 600 feet of a park, school or green belt.
Familiar restrictions on zoning are still included in the ordinance, prohibiting dispensaries from opening in residential districts but allowing them to open in almost every other zoning area. All dispensaries also would be required to receive a conditional-use permit, approved by the council.
The number of dispensaries allowed in Davis would be capped at four – for a trial period of 18 months – under the ordinance. That number is in accordance with a one-per-15,000-population calculation preferred by city staff.
That limit will not include delivery-only services, which also will be banned from placing headquarters in residential areas.
City staffers are recommending that the council prohibit on-site cannabis consumption, despite interest that the council expressed in the past.
As per the recommendation of Mayor Robb Davis, each cannabis retailer will be required to display signs warning international visitors of potential legal dangers surrounding cannabis.
The warning message states:
"Purchasing, smoking, ingesting or consuming cannabis or cannabis products is at your own risk. Cannabis consumption and possession may be prohibited under the laws, regulations and policies of local, state, and federal entities, including employers, schools, and federal visas. Please use extreme caution."
Since the window opened in July, the city has received three pre-applications from prospective dispensaries, and had discussions with at least six other applicants that indicated they likely will submit a full-fledged application in the fall.
They are:
* California Grown, Inc. at 1605 Second St.;
* Davis Cannabis Company at 1221 Third St.; and
* River City Phoenix Davis at 1100 West Chiles Road.
The window for dispensaries looking to apply to open in Davis will be open Sept. 27 to Oct. 13. Once the applications are gathered, city staffers will process them all at once and put them before the council in early 2018 for conditional-use-permit approval.
The council also will consider launching a "Cannabis Community Benefit Program." A recent city staff report cites Sacramento policies as an example, which send 1 percent of all cannabis business receipts toward a benefit program.
The program could help fund social services for homeless individuals, addiction resources, neighborhood cleanliness and beautification, or street safety upgrades, according to the report.
If the dispensary ordinance is approved Tuesday, the zoning changes would go into effect on Oct. 12.
Next up on the cannabis front are regulatory fees, which are expected to be set at the council's Sept. 12 meeting.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis is on the menu at upcoming council meeting
Author: Felicia Alvarez
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Davis Enterprise | Yolo County, California