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Golden council considers cannabis zoning

The Town of Golden is going through the motions and deciding how to handle cannabis zoning, licensing, and smoke free bylaws.
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The Town of Golden is going through the motions and deciding how to handle cannabis zoning, licensing, and smoke free bylaws.

Already, council has determined that retailing should be set in the C2 zone, which includes commercial properties south of the Kicking Horse River, and introduces cannabis production to the light industrial M2 zone. Cannabis production is typically done in large buildings, so allowing it in the industrial areas would create opportunities for producers in Golden.

The Town of Golden stated in a report that was presented to council on November 6 that allowing the cannabis retail use in only one zone is a “significant signal” to prospective operators that the Town is proceeding cautiously and experimentally with this use.

In agreement with provincial recommendations, cannabis retailers will not be permitted to locate close to schools, parks, and places where children regularly gather. The Okanagan Regional Library has also requested that cannabis businesses and producers are not in close proximity to the libraries.

In addition, town council could adopt a policy limiting the number and nature of cannabis retail stores, which could include them being privately and publicly operated. They could implement this using application referrals from the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch. Many communities are implementing a cap on the mount of cannabis retailers in their towns and cities.

Applications for cannabis retail will go through a vetting process by the province’s Liquor and Cannabis Retail Branch, and will be referred to the Town of Golden for consideration and approvals or recommendations for each application.

The Corporate Policy Applications from the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch outlines application requirements, previous policy direction from council on cannabis retail, previous liquor applications, how council will conduct the provincially mandated requirement to gather the views of property owners and occupants in the applicable area and the community as a whole, and criteria town council may consider when evaluating an application.

The fees to apply for cannabis retail will likely be twice as much as a liquor license application at $2,000.

This update to the Town of Golden Administrative Fees and Information Access Bylaw No. 1403, 2018 includes the occupant load calculations for a liquor application, liquor license applications in conjunction with rezoning, and liquor license applications without rezoning.

“The cannabis fee is twice as high,” said Phil Armstrong at the town council meeting on November 6.

Also enclosed in the report is an update to the fees bylaw for occupant load, liquor licenses, and cannabis retail.

The Town of Golden may gather residents’ views in a number of ways.

The province has outlined options to suggest how municipalities may gather residents’ views, and town staff has reported that for consistency, the notification process could follow that of rezoning applications. The Town usually posts a sign, two ads in the newspaper, and includes a mailout delivery to properties within 100 metres. The sign and the two ads would be an additional cost to the applicant.

It is suggested the fee for this process be $1,530, in line with the Town’s rezoning application fee. In the event that the Town of Golden receives a number of applications at once, a policy could also provide for an initial intake period and provide a scoring matrix for applicants.

Once conditional approval is granted by the provincial government, arrangements for the store location can be finalized, and renovations to ensure the store layout and exterior matches the information submitted can be completed. When everything is finalized, the applicant will contact the province for a final inspection.

The Province of British Columbia will not issue a license without approval and a recommendation from the Town of Golden council through a unique public gathering process for each application.