The City of Newark has its first proposal for regulating the recreational marijuana industry within city limits.
The city planning department presented a draft ordinance to the Planning Commission earlier this month.
Earlier this year three council members – Corinth Ford, Travis McDermott and John Suchanec, said they would vote for an outright ban.
But now, Senior City Planner Mike Fortner says a majority of council members are adamant to at least keep the business away from downtown.
“They’re kind of very limited right now, so I think it’s a bit of a cultural shift," Fortner says. "So we allow a couple, see how they do, and then future council may open the zoning code up as these things become more mainstream.”
The draft proposes limiting marijuana cultivation, testing, and manufacturing facilities to industrial areas around the city. Cultivation and manufacturing businesses will require a special-use permit.
According to the proposal, potential spots for recreational stores would be limited to general business districts located in three corners of the city – Southwestern Newark near Elkton Road and Otts Chapel Road, Southern Newark near the I-95/South College Avenue interchange, and Eastern Newark off of Ogletown Road.
“It’s mostly on the outskirts of town, the south area along I-95 and on the east side of town along Ogletown Road, where there is an existing medical marijuana sales and growth establishment that is applying to convert to commercial use as well," Fornter says.
Fortner points to that medical marijuana dispensary – Fresh Delaware – as a business council finds acceptable. He adds if Fresh, and others, prove successful in the retail market, future councils may be more inclined to open up the zoning requirements.
Council will continue discussing the ordinance at it's June 17 meeting. It could have a public hearing and Council vote later this summer.
