COMOX, B.C. – All was mellow during Wednesday’s very brief public hearing, regarding a zoning amendment that will pave the way for the sale of recreational pot in the Town of Comox.
In total, 11 people attended with just one speaker.
Draft Planning Procedures Bylaw 1891 proposes that “cannabis procedures mirror the town’s procedures for a review of the liquor license.”
Comox Council members quickly passed third and fourth reading at the conclusion of the public hearing.
“The only change that we made is setting some possible locations for three stores within the downtown, within other commercial nodes,” Comox mayor Paul Ives told MyComoxValleyNow.
“The only possible change that we’re going to be looking at is the allowance for a cannabis retail outlet in the mall, but at a distance from the liquor store because there’s issues around having them in proximity to liquor stores. We’re going to process that change as an amendment.”
In early July, Ives said that the town is looking at the potential for up to three retail locations for potential cannabis stores.
Two of these potential locations identified by the town would include downtown Comox, with another store in a separate commercial area.
Under the proposed land use planning rezoning bylaw, a store is limited to strictly the sale of cannabis.
Now, it’s up to those who want to open a cannabis retail store to in Comox to apply to the province for a business license.
“Then the province will refer those applications to us much in the same way as you see with liquor stores and liquor licenses and craft breweries,” Ives said. “We’ve just established, from a land use planning point of view, some ground rules as to where they could possibly be.
“But it will still be up to businesses and individuals who want to open such a store to apply to the province and go through that process.”
