Rodeo Cannabis is seeking to occupy a 2,000 square foot space in one of the buildings in Crown Point Center. The building also houses Common Grounds, Panache Hair Design and Leo Tobacco & Cigar.
SHELTON — The Planning and Zoning Commission has stamped out Rodeo Cannabis’ plans to open what would have been the only marijuana dispensary in the city.
The commission, at its meeting last Wednesday, voted 4-2 to deny Rodeo Cannabis’ request to open in 2,000-square-feet of vacant space — in the former bank location right next to newly opened Leo Tobacco & Cigar — at Crown Point Center off Bridgeport Avenue.
In July, the commission asked zoning staff to prepare a resolution denying the move.
The commission’s resolution cited traffic concerns and limited parking for the dispensary, which it felt would be a major change from the former bank or any other retail space that could be housed at that site.
“In 2004, when it originally approved the uses (for this space), the Commission contemplated a bank with customary drive-thru and perhaps a retail store selling food stuffs and morning sandwiches,” the resolution stated.
“Retail sales did not mean dispensaries of federally illegal Schedule 1 drugs,” the resolution further stated. “At the (Planned Development District’s) inception, the Drug Enforcement Agency of the United States considered cannabis to be Schedule 1 and illegal. The Commission agreed then, agrees now.”
Attorney Dominick Thomas, representing Rodeo Cannabis — whose co-founder and CEO is Arthur Linares, a former Connecticut state senator and husband of Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons — said he plans to appeal the decision.
Not all the commissioners agreed with denying the dispensary.
Elaine Matto said she recognized that this was a different use than seen in the city before and acknowledged concerns about traffic and parking.
“But based on this analysis,” Matto said, referring to the reasoning for denial listed in the resolution, “I don’t know what kind of business would be allowed into that empty space that you could say is not a parking concern or a traffic concern. I don’t think the rationale here is very strong.”
Commissioner Jimmy Tickey agreed, adding that he felt the resolution’s wording did not accurately describe information received from the applicant or residents during the public hearing process.
“We heard how they would be processing people through,” Tickey said. “This paints a different story.
Commissioner Ruth Parkins responded, saying the resolution was an accurate portrayal of the information received from the business owners and their representatives.
“There are legitimate safety concerns here,” added commissioner Robert Cristiano. “The impact to the adjoining businesses would be significant.”
The Board of Aldermen, in April, unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance prohibiting all types of cannabis establishments and retail sales of cannabis or cannabis-related items, an action supported by Mayor Mark Lauretti, who often stated that cannabis sales had no place in the city.
Even with the ban, Rodeo Cannabis’ application was still able to be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission because it was filed prior to the ban’s approval.
The application first came in as a request for a certificate of zoning compliance. The commission refused to discuss the application at its April 10 meeting, citing legal counsel stating it was not properly filed.
Thomas then 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 aldermen created the ordinance prohibiting cannabis establishments after the Planning and Zoning Commission at a March meeting deadlocked, 3-3, on a resolution to prohibit such shops. The deadlock meant the motion failed, allowing applications to be filed starting April 1.
Only hours after the commission’s moratorium ended, Linares filed an application to open a hybrid medical and recreational dispensary in Crown Point Center.
H/T: www.ctpost.com
