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07/29/2022 02:16 PMThe Zoning Commision has approved regulations that will allow retail cannabis stores to operate by special permit in certain areas of Town.
The vote came at the Commission’s July 25 meeting, and the new regulations will go into effect on Aug. 10.
In 2021, Connecticut legislators passed a bill, legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults 18 and older. That bill left it up to local municipalities to decide whether recreational marijuana retail would be allowed to operate within town limits. Since then, Westbrook’s Zoning Commission has proposed two different zoning text amendment applications. One application, approved in May, placed a moratorium on cannabis applications for at least six months, allowing additional time to consider any possible regulations. During the time the moratorium was in place no applicants could apply to open a cannabis shop.
The second proposed amendment, approved at the July 25 meeting, set standards allowing retail marijuana stores by special permit in the neighborhood commercial district, the turnpike interchange district, the industrial district, and the light industrial district. Cultivators will not be allowed in the neighborhood commercial district.
Under the new regulations, retailers are not allowed in the same building as a childcare facility or church and cannot be located adjacent to playgrounds, parks, or schools. The stores can only operate between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Any proposal for a retail store would also need a plan that details hours of operation, security, signage, parking circulation, and odor mitigation steps.
Zoning Enforcement officer Michael D’ Amato said earlier this year that due to restrictions from the state, Westbrook would be limited to only one retail and one cultivation establishment until 2024 due to population size.
“If a retail establishment were to open in Westbrook, three percent of the taxes generated by these sales will be transmitted to the town,” D’Amato said.
Town Planner Peter Gillespie said that the Commission did its due diligence in contemplating the regulations and that the surveys were a big help.
“On the day of the meeting, there had been 154 responses to the survey. I think it gave the Commission some direction and input from the community that they didn’t have before,” said Gillespie.
“The Commission took a good amount of time to deliberate and study the issue in what other towns are doing,” Gillespie added.
The approval only paves the way for applicants to apply to open a retail cannabis shop if they wish to; it does not guarantee a shop will open. There has already been some interest expressed in bringing a marijuana retail shop to town. At a February Zoning Commission meeting, a potential applicant spoke with the commission informally to get a sense of what regulations were in place concerning marijuana sale.
The potential applicant, Chad Lynch, said he’s been involved in the business for about seven years and was interested in working in Connecticut. Lynch said that his plan would be to open a growing and light manufacturing facility in town with a retail dispensary for the public.
With no regulations on file, it was after that inquiry that the town set to work on coming up with proposed regulations.