Tonight, the Fairfax Town Council will have a second reading of an ordinance that was a long time coming regulating medical marijuana dispensaries in town.
The ordinance, which passed unanimously on the first reading in May, will limit the number of dispensaries to three (two additional dispensaries along with the only one currently in town – the ).
Additionally, the ordinance regulates where the dispensaries can be located. Town staff wanted to limit the possible locations to the downtown commercial area, but state law AB 2650 forbids dispensaries within 600 feet of a school, limiting the number of parcels where a possible facility could be located. The Marin Alliance will be grandfathered in. The area was then expanded out from the downtown central commercial zone to include along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Bolinas Avenue.
The final ordinance had very few changes from .
The full ordinance, with an extensive list of regulations, can be read here.
Because potential dispensaries are expected to be lined up, waiting to fill the two open spots when the temporary moratorium on new facilities is lifted and the ordinance goes into effect on July 1, the town has also developed a list of criteria for choosing from among the applicants. At its May meeting, the council added to its list of criteria a preference for local, community owners and sustainably-grown marijuana.
Potential dispensaries will be invited to submit applications once the ordinance goes into effect, but Town Manager Michael Rock said a number of interested parties have been closely following the proceedings.
Ironically, .
Fairfax has always been at the forefront of medical marijuana licensing, giving one of the first fully-licensed permits in the state.
“Look at how far we’ve come since all the doctors preferred Camels,” joked Sierra Snyder at the April meeting.
