Montville looks to cap cannabis stores at one
Aug. 9—MONTVILLE — The Planning and Zoning Commission has set a public hearing for Aug. 22 on a proposal to ban further cannabis stores in town.
There is only one retail cannabis store in town. The Botanist, which began as a medical cannabis facility, began selling retail cannabis in February.
At the request of the commission, Director of Land Use and Development Liz Burdick and Town Attorney Matthew Willis drafted an amendment to the town's zoning regulations that would set restrictions on the sale of retail cannabis.
Besides defining "cannabis" and "cannabis establishment," the proposed amendment would prevent any other retail cannabis shops from opening in town.
As the commission gets closer to the Nov. 1 deadline of a six-month moratorium it established in April, it has been working to draft permanent rules for retail and hybrid cannabis stores to add to the town's zoning regulations. A hybrid store sells both medical and recreational cannabis.
"We started looking at the regulations and the first thing they came to a consensus to was that they don't want any further retail establishments," Burdick said Wednesday about commission members.
The draft of the amended regulation states that current establishments, such as the Botanist, will not be affected by the new rules.
Additionally, the Botanist will be able to expand on its existing location as long as it complies with the town's regulations for retailers, according to the draft.
The hearing is scheduled for Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Town Hall.
At the hearing, the commission will hear public comment and receive written communications which it will use to inform its decision, Burdick said.
After that, it will either approve, approve with stipulations or deny the amendment, Burdick said.
In the future, the commission might discuss regulations for cultivators and micro-cultivators, Burdick said, but there are no plans to do so right now.
