AMSTERDAM — The Common Council has adopted zoning regulations covering cannabis retailers and manufacturers in Amsterdam. Now, the first dispensary proposed in the city is set to be reviewed by the Planning Commission next week.
The city worked quickly to finalize regulations after officials were caught off guard when the state Office of Cannabis Management awarded a Conditional Adult-use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license to local brothers Thomas and Anthony Marcellino in April.
Mayor Michael Cinquanti has been critical of limited communication from the state since recreational marijuana was legalized. He said officials had previously begun preparing zoning laws and could have had them in place earlier if the city had been alerted by the state that a dispensary application had been submitted.
“We didn’t even know they applied, no one told us until the license we issued,” Cinquanti said. “The plan was all along to get ready, to be prepared and when we know one is coming we could act quickly. We were totally blindsided by the fact this license was issued.”
A local law establishing zoning rules allowing cannabis businesses in commercial areas subject to a special use permit was approved by the Common Council on Tuesday. The step enables the Planning Commission to review the site plan and special use permit application for Amsterdam Cannabis Inc., proposed by the Marcellinos in a former office building at 1549 Route 5S.
The existing building in a commercial plaza meets the city’s new zoning regulations, according to Housing Inspector Grant Egelston, who helped draft the rules for cannabis businesses similar to those governing alcohol related establishments.
Zoning rules now allow dispensaries in the downtown core, employment, commercial corridor and light industrial zoning districts. Consumption sites are also allowed in the employment and commercial corridor zones. Manufacturing is allowed in the employment and light industrial districts. Marijuana businesses are not permitted in expressly residential zoning districts.
Licensed marijuana retailers and producers will be strictly regulated by the state Office of Cannabis Management. Operators need to already be licensed by the state before applying to the city for special use permits.
State laws and regulations for cannabis operations will apply to any local businesses. State rules prohibit cannabis businesses within 500-feet of schools, 200-feet of houses of worship or 2,000-feet from other marijuana shops.
“The state does a lot of that vetting once they get to the point the state provisionally approves the license. The state has to approve their location, also they do the background on people. We took a lot of that into account,” Egelston said of the city zoning regulations.
The Planning Commission is expected to consider potential impacts on traffic, light, noise and odor, as well as security plans when it reviews the application for Amsterdam Cannabis following a scheduled public hearing at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Plans call for the dispensary to occupy the front of the former Aptar CSP Technologies building. Customers would enter a secure vestibule to present their identification before being admitted to the retail showroom by employees. Surveillance systems would be present inside and outside of the shop.
Staff would be trained to manage customer volumes with orderly lines to be formed and monitored outside during peak hours. Available on-site parking meets city zoning requirements and the business would implement traffic control measures as needed to manage flow and prevent congestion.
Local law enforcement would review security and traffic plans for the business prior to its opening. The proper authorities would be contacted in the event of emergencies or if customers become unruly.
The site plan and special use permit application must be referred to the Montgomery County Planning Board for feedback before the city Planning Commission reaches a final decision, which at the earliest could occur in July.
If approved, Cinquanti said the site on Route 5S away from homes is an appropriate location for a dispensary. He is confident local and state laws will provide the necessary oversight and protections for the new venture proposed in the city.
“I feel very comfortable that everything is in place to make sure it runs correctly and safely,” Cinquanti said. “All of the state vetting, review and enforcement is in place to help our city make sure that dispensary is operated completely legally.”
H/T: leaderherald.com
