STRATFORD — State lawmakers recently eliminated the cap on the number of adult-use cannabis stores that can operate in a single city or town.
But in Stratford, where local officials earlier this year opened the door to the recreational marijuana industry, residents are unlikely to encounter more than a couple dispensaries anytime soon.
Instead, the town Zoning Commission is considering a change to the local code that would retain the state’s original population-based limit, which restricted dispensaries to just one store for every 25,000 residents.
If approved, the proposed tweak would mean the town, which boasts a population of about 52,000 residents, could allow only two cannabis retail shops, according to Stratford Planning and Zoning Administrator Jay Habansky.
“The idea is to honor the commission’s original decision to approve adult-use cannabis with the understanding that — at the beginning, at least — we would only be having two stores at the most,” Habansky said, noting the commission can change the cap at a later date.
After briefly considering a six-month moratorium, the Zoning Commission voted unanimously in late March to allow recreational marijuana sales and cannabis production facilities within the town limits.
At the time, the five-member board chose to embrace the burgeoning industry due to the tax revenue and economic boost the stores and production facilities are expected to generate.
“I just don’t want to be that town that misses the boat when it’s all going to come to fruition,” Commissioner Dion Francis said at a meeting held before the vote.
The state law legalizing recreational marijuana imposes a 3 percent municipal sales tax, on top of the 6.35 percent state cannabis tax, on all adult-use sales. Habansky has said that industry officials believe a local dispensary could generate more than $15 million in annual sales.
Businesses have to apply for a retail cannabis license — 12 of which will be given in the first round — from the state before they can open anywhere.
The town’s cannabis regulations, which largely match the existing medical-marijuana rules, permit dispensaries in business and retail zoning districts. Production facilities, meanwhile, are restricted to areas zoned for light industrial or industrial uses.
Under the rules, the stores are not allowed to be located in buildings that are also used for residential purposes and cannot be within 1,500 feet of an existing shop. Additionally, they can only serve customers between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. each day.
Though the town’s office of planning and zoning has not yet received a formal application for a dispensary, Habansky acknowledged that cannabis companies have privately expressed interest in opening a store.
To win approval, a licensed cannabis retailer must apply to the Zoning Commission for a special case and attend a public hearing. They may also need to appear before the Architectural Review Board if they plan to construct a new building or modify an existing one.
Habansky said it is possible the commission could approve the town’s first dispensary as early as this year, but suggested that the store would likely not open to the public until sometime next year.
“We’re excited to see what these proposals might look like,” he said.
The town Planning Commission is scheduled to review the proposed zoning change at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 16. Habansky said the Zoning Commission could act on the item when it meets at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24
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