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Planning board recommends recreational marijuana ordinance

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COLDWATER — Coldwater Planning Commission recommended Monday a zoning ordinance to allow for recreational marijuana businesses in the city, by special-use permit.

The City Council will take up the proposal June 8 and could approve it on June 22. It then would go into effect July 14. 

The proposal, which had been discussed at the April city commission meeting, will concentrate retail near the U.S. 12/I-69 corridor, zoned C-4.  

At the request of the city council it also allowed retail in the downtown C-2 district. Because of St. Charles school on Harrison Street west of Pierson Street, it reduced the distance from schools from 1,000 to 500 feet. The setback from residential zoning also will be 500 feet. 

The commission also decided to limit the number of potential retails sales establishments by requiring each license to be 1,000 feet from another. 

All other recreational marijuana operations, from grow houses, processors, testing, and transportation, will be limited to the D-2 industrial zones.

Michael Scheeser, president of Galenas in Camden, argued the need for retail with the other operations. His firm had been looking in the D-2 zone. Others also had sought property in industrial. 

City councilwoman Emily Rissman had argued against retail in those locations because of safety. Those zones are remote where buyers might be targeted in the all cash business. 

The planning commission decided to allow retail only as an accessory to a processing operations. 

All of the zoning is by special use permit only, so the planning commission will have an opportunity to review each application as appropriate for the location. 

After a presentation from franchisers Stan Russell and Ed Santangello of Tranquility Fields, the commission agreed to allow a microbusiness only in the C-4 district. 

Santangello said the business is “like a microbrewery and limited to growing 150 plants.” The modular business is designed to eliminate the smell. It grows, processes and sells. 

“It doesn’t fit in an industrial zone,” he said.

The microbusiness is the only one currently available to an entity that does not already have a medical marijuana license. Otherwise, recreational licenses are limited until the end of 2021. 

Attorney Josh Covert urged the planning commission to include medical marijuana in its ordinance. Without that you are cutting out the residents of Coldwater who want to participate as retail licensees, Covert said. 

City attorney Megan Angel said it will take “hours and hours” to draft a medical marijuana provision, since the law in entirely different. 

Mayor Tom Kramer urged fellow commissioners to move ahead with the proposed recommendation.

“We have talked about this for years,” Kramer said.

The amended ordinance proposal was approved 5-2, with commissioners Rick Stevens and Aaron Garn voting no. 

Commissioner Dave Rumsey said the board needs to think of the city residents, not just have people come from outside the…

Source: https://mmpconnect.com/planning-board-recommends-recreational-marijuana-ordinance/

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