Sussex County Council hears an update on proposed changes to where it will allow recreational marijuana businesses to operate.
Sussex County Assistant Attorney Vince Robertson presented the proposed changes at Tuesday’s Council meeting.
Roberts says changes include the expansion of locale that stores will be permitted.
“It makes retail marijuana stores permitted use now in the C2 district, recall that previously it wasn’t even allowed under any conditions in C2, and makes them permitted uses in C3 without a conditional use so it’s straight permitted use. ” he said.
The proposal also shrinks the current 3 mile distance from municipal boundaries down to one half mile. In Sussex County, municipalities have the authority to govern their own marijuana regulations within city limits.
But the 3 mile buffer remains between marijuana facilities and other stores, churches, and schools. However, Robertson says that detail - which some argue creates a de facto ban - isn’t set in stone.
“The reason for that is, there was a lot of conversation about that, and by leaving it in we can that out through the public hearing process, because we can change that as a result of the public hearing.” he said.
The changes come after a direct communication from Governor Meyer, who urged Sussex County to consider alterations to their ordinance after his veto of Senate Bill 75.
The ordinance is now set to be heard by the Sussex Planning and Zoning Committee before coming back to County Council for a final vote.
