Stonington — The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to implement a six-month moratorium on accepting applications to open cannabis businesses in town.
The moratorium is designed to give the commission and its staff time to research, develop and implement specific zoning regulations for cannabis retailers and producers. Stonington joins other communities in Connecticut that already have adopted moratoriums to give them time to draft regulations.
According to the state law that legalized the recreational use of marijuana and took effect July 1, municipalities had the discretion to allow or prohibit cannabis businesses within their borders, regulate signs and operating hours, and develop specific regulations for such businesses. In October, Stonington residents voted 2,106 to 1,816 to allow cannabis businesses in town.
The law allows one retailer and one retail grower for every 25,000 residents, which means the town and Stonington Borough each can have one grower and one retailer. Towns also can implement a 3% tax on marijuana sales. No one spoke about the proposed moratorium at the public hearing that was held Tuesday before the commission vote.
The moratorium will take effect March 21 and expire Sept. 21. This means someone could still file an application before March 21.
A public hearing will be held later this year on the regulations that the commission will develop.
Until the moratorium was passed Tuesday, the town was prepared to treat any cannabis retailers like similar noncannabis land uses, such as liquor stores for permitting purposes.
Liquor stores, are currently allowed in the DB-5, CS-5, LS-5, CG-60, TC-80, HI-60, HM and PV-5 districts under the temporary policy. It is not yet clear if cannabis businesses eventually would be allowed in all those zones.
Applications to grow marijuana or manufacture cannabis products would have been treated like a liquor distillery and been allowed by special permit only in the town’s Heritage Mill District, located along Mechanic Street in Pawcatuck.