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Cromwell PZC approves 30-day retail marijuana moratorium – Middletown Press

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CROMWELL — The Planning and Zoning Fee accepted a 30-day moratorium on hashish retailers as officers work towards enacting an ordinance limiting the variety of these services on the town.

The transfer, which went into impact Sept. 6, will give City Council members time to think about whether or not they wish to cap the variety of hashish companies in Cromwell, planning officers say. 

The moratorium will not apply to the 2 purposes for hashish retailers on Berlin Street that have already got been submitted. A type of purposes, which proposed to construct a retail store on 5.3 acres of vacant land at 5 Berlin Street, just lately was accepted by the PZC.

The appliance for the opposite proposed facility, at the site of the old Riverdale Cleaners, will likely be thought of on the PZC’s subsequent assembly.

After approving laws for adult-use hashish in Might, planning officers mentioned they have been thrown a curveball when the state determined to take away a clause in its adult-use cannabis bill limiting the variety of retailers and cultivators in a municipality.

Beforehand, cities and cities with populations of 25,000 residents or fewer have been solely allowed one retailer and one cultivator, according to the outdated statute.

Now, municipalities can permit an infinite variety of these services.

On account of the change, the fee sought steering from council members earlier than probably revising its zoning laws,

“We wished to return to the City Council to see what their place could be,” PZC Chairwoman Alice Kelly mentioned Friday. “With the modifications, we felt it was as much as the City Council whether or not or not they wished to have a restrict.”

City Supervisor Anthony Salvatore mentioned this week that the city legal professional is crafting an ordinance searching for to restrict the variety of hashish distribution services in Cromwell to 2. The main points of the ordinance nonetheless must be labored out, however Salvatore mentioned he expects will probably be prepared for the council to evaluate at its Oct. 12 assembly.

“We’re presently exploring all of our choices with the city legal professional,” he mentioned.

PZC member Michael Cannata mentioned throughout Wednesday’s council assembly {that a} moratorium would plug the “potential gap within the dam,” stopping extra hashish retail purposes from being submitted so city leaders can resolve regulate the market.

“We don’t need (a retailer) on each nook. We don’t wish to develop into a Holyoke, Mass., or a Denver, Colorado,” Cannata mentioned. “So (City Planner Stuart Popper) mentioned let’s do a 30-day moratorium and let’s discuss how we are able to repair our laws to mirror extra of what it was than what it’s at current.”

Cannata owns Bantry Bay Ventures — the enterprise whose utility to construct a leisure hashish facility at 5 Berlin Street was accepted final week. To keep away from a battle of curiosity, Cannata has recused himself from any PZC talks involving his firm’s utility.

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