Woodland’s City Council will be considering an amendment of the city’s commercial cannabis ordinance that would allow dispensaries and other cannabis retailers to conduct retail sales of medical and/or recreational cannabis to consumers.
“The city has recently received an initial inquiry from Perfect Union, a commercial cannabis retail business with several locations throughout Northern California, to determine whether the city would amend the city’s zoning code to allow for retail cannabis business,” the staff report emphasized.
“Based on this inquiry, city staff, working with an Ad Hoc subcommittee comprised of two city council members and three planning commissioners began the process of considering possible amendments to the zoning code that would allow for retail cannabis business subject to certain limitations.”
Perfect Union proposed a potential future commercial cannabis retail location that will only be considered through a separate CUP process in the event that the proposed amendments to the zoning code are approved.
The city currently allows up to six commercial cannabis conditional use permits in the industrial districts for cannabis manufacturing, distributions and testing, according to the staff report.
The proposed amendments will allow up to four commercial cannabis retail permits for storefront sales as conditional uses and establish standards for the review and approval of retail cannabis uses.
The report added that delivery-only uses are not permitted within Woodland.
The City Council originally approved the regulatory framework to allow cannabis uses including land-use zoning regulations, business permit requirements, fees for cost recovery and review process in 2017, according to the report.
“The Woodland zoning ordinance allows for considerations of up to six conditions use permits (CUPs) for commercial cannabis manufacturing, distribution and testing facilities,” the report explained. “A CUP may cover a single individual location with one use or a CUP may include approval for multiple uses collocated at one site through a master conditional use permit.”
Only four of the six allowed CUPs have been approved to date, according to the report. The current ordinance does not allow for retail storefronts or delivery from uses in Woodland and prohibits cannabis cultivation — indoor and outdoor — and states that cannabis uses may not be located any closer than 600 feet to any sensitive use.
The city’s Planning Commission held a public hearing in October to consider the proposed amendments and unanimously recommended approval to the City Council. Cindy Norris, principal planner for Woodland, explained that possible zoning amendments would allow cannabis retail in most commercial and mixed-use districts including in downtown Woodland while continuing a 600-foot buffer requirement already in place.
“This means a 600-foot buffer from schools, parks or any youth-serving activity,” Norris emphasized during the October meeting. “The subcommittee also felt comfortable that the 600-foot sensitivity buffer would likely reduce any overconcentration, particularly downtown.”
Kimberly Cargile, CEO of A Therapeutic Alternative — a Sacramento-based dispensary — attended the October meeting and said she’s been advocating to be allowed to open a retail use storefront in Woodland for a little over five years.
Her company — Woodland Cannabis Collective — is looking to apply for a conditional use permit for a location they’ve leased at 163 Court St. in Woodland.
“We will be able to provide a professional atmosphere catering to seniors and their specific needs,” Cargile highlighted.
Rob Read, owner of F Street Dispensary in Davis, also expressed interest in opening a dispensary in Woodland.
“We’ve been down this road in multiple cities from the beginning and we know it’s a long road,” he said. “We know it can be contentious at times, but every day we are serving upwards of 100 people from Woodland who you may be surprised of. It’s not necessarily the folks who get pigeonholed as cannabis users, but folks of all socio-economic backgrounds who are utilizing cannabis as medicine or for recreational uses.”
The City Council will discuss amendments to the city’s zoning ordinance during its 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday, Nov. 16, via Zoom. The full agenda is available at cityofwoodland.org/meetings.
