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Marijuana Code Updates & Moratorium Discussion
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Summary and Background Information:
On May 13, 2024, the City Clerk presented an overview of the marijuana moratorium that was enacted in 2023 and set to expire on July 31, 2024. During the study session, the City Council expressed interest in extending the moratorium so a number of items related to the licensing and regulation of marijuana stores such as the installation of concrete bollards to prevent vehicle break-ins, increased security standards for the storage of products, and exploring potential caps on the number of stores in the City.
On July 15, 2024, City Council passed Ordinance 2567. This ordinance extended the moratorium on new retail and medical marijuana store license in Wards I and II in the City by another six months to allow staff to continue to explore the ideas proposed above. The City Clerk's Office and City Attorney's Office have researched security standards from other municipalities in the state as well as how other cities have limited or capped the amount of stores in their cities. Staff has drafted proposed increased security and design standards for new marijuana businesses that would open after the moratorium expired (the regulations would not be retroactive for existing licensees).
Additionally, staff has found examples of other cities that have limited or capped the number of stores within their cities. Staff has proposed draft regulations on limiting the number of stores in the City split between two geographic regions. The regions are split along 96th Avenue and Havana St, with each region being limited to no more than 8 stores. Co-located licenses (one location that has both a recreational retail store and a medical retail store license) count as 1 license towards the cap and no licenses for a retail store can be issued until the number of stores drops to 7 or fewer. The number of 8 stores is a starting point for Council to discuss, but was chosen as that would mir...
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