The DRA LUC submitted a letter on this application on 19 October 2020 with regard to the rezoning. The concerns outlined in that letter remain unaddressed as the application moves to this stage.
The DRA LUC supported for the Staff’s recommendation to decline the rezoning application to permit the use of a Storefront Cannabis Retailer. As observed by Staff, “the proposal is inconsistent with the Storefront Cannabis Retailer Rezoning Policy”.
There is no shortage of ground floor retail properties for lease within the City and therefore no apparent impediment for the applicant to seek a location that complies with the current proximity rules. It is important that precedence is not set in relaxing these proximity rules without a compelling rationale. We strongly encourage Council to uphold its wise decision to adopt the 400m proximity rule for Cannabis retailers and the 200m proximity rule for schools.
Retail cannabis operators are required to screen their windows to block the public’s view into the retail units. These create “blank walls” along our streets. Ignoring the proximity rules increases the concentration of these operations in a small area, and in combination with other closed and empty retail units, adds to an increasingly uninviting and hostile streetscape with fewer eyes on the street.