[ad_1]
During one of its briefest sessions on record, the Dunwoody City Council on Sept. 19 voted to put a six-month moratorium on permitting or licensing cannabis retail stores within the city limits.
According to Dunwoody Community Development Director Richard McLeod, who presented the resolution, the state of Georgia has created laws that allow for the production, distribution and sale of medical cannabis products. The city, according to McLeod, has not yet established any regulations, prompting the need for the moratorium.
“The state has been sniffing around,” he said. “So far 21 licenses (in Georgia) have been approved but production issues have not been solved.”
According to supporting documents, the city will use the time to “review state requirements, review best practice regulations, and identify potential impacts and externalities of medical cannabis uses.”
“Should the state find cause for new code requirements, it will propose changes to the city’s zoning ordinance that will have to be reviewed by the Planning Commission and the City Council,” the document continued. “That timeline may require a future extension of the moratorium.”
Council Member Stacey Harris asked if the timeline could be reduced if necessary, to which McLeod replied in the affirmative. McLeod added that the city had received only one inquiry about the matter, but no written requests to establish such a facility within the city.
In other action, the council discussed a new public art mural proposed for the Dunwoody MARTA parking deck located at on Hammond Drive.
“This is a high-profile area that is a blank canvas right now,” Michael Starling, Dunwoody’s Director of Economic Development, said. “We would fund a third of the project, along with PCID (Perimeter Center Improvement District) and MARTA.”
The cost to the city would be about $50,000, with installation planned for next spring. The mural installation is in the planning stages now, with calls for art proposals to go out in the next few months, Starling said.
The council also adopted a new mission and vision statement before adjourning to executive session to discuss personnel and litigation matters.
The post Dunwoody City Council imposes moratorium on cannabis retail stores appeared first on Reporter Newspapers & Atlanta Intown.
[ad_2]
Source link
