Rodeo Cannabis is seeking to occupy a 2,000 square foot space, which includes a drive-thru, in one of the buildings in Crown Point Center. The building also houses Common Grounds, Panache Hair Design and the soon-to-open Leo Tobacco.
SHELTON — The sale of cannabis and cannabis-related products may now be banned citywide, but that does not mean people won’t see at least one such shop soon.
The Board of Aldermen, at its meeting Tuesday, unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance prohibiting all types of cannabis establishments and retail sales of cannabis or cannabis-related items. Medical marijuana sales are already banned in the city.
“We have values, and we need to stick to those values,” said Board of Aldermen President John Anglace, Jr. “We want to try and provide our children a safe place to live, go to school and play. I don’t think we want this, and we have good reasons for not wanting (cannabis sales).”
Even with the ban, Rodeo Cannabis’ application to open in 2,000-square-feet of open space — right next to newly opened Leo Tobacco & Cigar — at Crown Point Center will still be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Action can be taken since this application was filed prior to the ban’s approval by the aldermen.
The aldermen took the step to create an ordinance after the Planning and Zoning Commission last month deadlocked, 3-3, on a resolution to prohibit such shops. The deadlock means the motion failed, allowing applications to be filed starting April 1.
Only hours after the commission’s moratorium ended, Arthur Linares, co-founder and CEO of Rodeo Cannabis, filed an application to open a hybrid medical and recreational dispensary in Crown Point Center off Bridgeport Avenue.
Linares, also a former Connecticut state senator and husband of Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons, has stated there is no specific timeframe for opening.
The application first came in as a request for a certificate of zoning compliance. The commission refused to discuss the application at a meeting earlier this month, citing legal counsel stating it was not properly filed.
But attorney Dominick Thomas, representing Rodeo Cannabis, said the certificate of zoning compliance application is still pending and if the commission does not act in some fashion within 65 days of the hearing, it would automatically be approved.
As a backup, Thomas said, he also filed an application with the commission for a minor modification to the already approved Planned Development District for the property to allow the use.
The vote to prohibit cannabis retail shops and sale of cannabis and cannabis-related products came after a public hearing, at which a handful people spoke.
Matt McGee, a Planning and Zoning Commission alternate who was speaking as a private citizen, questioned the need for the ordinance, saying cannabis sale is highly regulated. He said the city should instead investigate capping the number of smoke shops in Shelton.
“If you want protect health and safety, look at the issue of smoke shops,” said McGee, adding that several in the city have already been cited for illegal sale of cannabis products.
Brian Essenter of Monroe told the aldermen he was interested in bringing a cannabis manufacturing operation to the city and asked that they consider easing any regulations to allow such a business in the community.
“There is a place for this,” Essenter said.
But others spoke against cannabis sales, including Sharon Herman, who cited reports on the health dangers of cannabis use.
H/T: www.ctpost.com
