Red Bank ready to make it harder to open legal Weed Stores

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Red Bank ready to make it harder to open legal Weed Stores

RED BANK - Nearly two years after the borough legalized the sale and manufacturing of marijuana within its boundaries, the Borough Council is proposing to change its rules regarding where cannabis businesses can be established and how many cannabis businesses it would allow. 

The special meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at borough hall or on Zoom. 

The current borough ordinance does not have a limit on the number of cannabis businesses, but restricts its operations based on a map with buffer zones drawn around schools, playgrounds and the borough’s public housing. 

In the legend of the map, the buffer zone is described as a 1,000-foot zone. However, in early January, the borough’s zoning board discovered that the buffer zones were drawn incorrectly, with certain buffers drawn at less than 1,000 feet. The proposed retail cannabis store Plug Naturals LLC was denied permission to appear before the planning board due to its proposed location being within the 1,000-foot buffer to the Red Bank Charter School. But according to the erroneous map, its proposed location would have been permitted. 

Where would cannabis businesses be permitted? 

The proposal would restrict cannabis retailers from opening a store within: 

  • 1,000 feet of a public or private school, playground or public housing.
  • 500 feet of parks, houses of worship or daycare centers.
  • 100 feet of public or private youth centers, swimming pools or video arcade facilities.
  • 250 feet of another retail cannabis business. 

Retailers would only be allowed to operate on: 

  • Riverside Avenue between Bridge Avenue and Pearl Street. 
  • Shrewsbury Avenue between W. Front Avenue and Monmouth Street. 
  • Bridge Avenue between Riverside Avenue and Monmouth Street. 
  • W. Front Street between Shrewsbury Avenue and Pearl Street. 
  • Brower Street. 
  • Allen Place. 
  • Newman Springs Road between Shrewsbury Avenue and Route-35

The proposal would limit the number of licenses to: 

  • One class I/cannabis cultivator license.
  • One class II/cannabis manufacturer license.
  • One class III/cannabis wholesaler license.
  • One class IV/ cannabis distributor license.
  • Three class V/cannabis retailer license.

Changes to the borough’s proposed ordinance would ban consumption lounges throughout the borough, so if you buy marijuana, you cannot use it on the premises. It would prohibit cannabis delivery services in most of the borough, including in previously allowed areas such as the Central Commercial District-1, Central Commercial District-2, Business/Residential-1, Waterfront Development District, Industrial Zone and Light Industrial Zone.  

What is the Cannabis Review Board? 

The proposed changes would create a Cannabis Review Board that would include a member of the Borough Council, the chief of police, the director of community development and the director of code enforcement. 

The proposed board would review the owners or principals’ qualifications and experience in “highly regulated industries, including cannabis, health care, pharmaceutical manufacturing and retail pharmacies, with preference to experience operating such businesses within the state of New Jersey.”

The proposed board will look at the applicant’s past research experience with regard to cannabis or substance abuse, the applicant’s commitment as “responsible employers,” specifically in regards to experience with collective bargaining, the applicant’s ties to the borough, the applicant’s diverse ownership and hiring practices and the property’s environmental impact and sustainability plans. 

The applicant would be required to submit “proof of financial suitability established by the board,” in addition to its site plans and other documents.  

In a February meeting discussing changes to the borough’s cannabis ordinance, people looking to start a cannabis business in the borough expressed concern that by limiting the number of licenses, multi-state operators that have experience in other states with legal cannabis would crowd out local entrepreneurs.

Mayor Billy Portman said he was concerned that restricting the number of licenses would open the borough to litigation. 

Some residents have argued for leaving original ordinance largely as it is, while others have advocated for a limit on licenses, citing the relative small size of the borough, which is about two square miles. 

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Region: New Jersey

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