Rock Island committee proposes zones for cannabis businesses ahead of legalization
The City of Rock Island planning commission approved proposed zoning regulations for cannabis businesses after a public hearing Wednesday night, as the city prepares for statewide legalization in January.
The Community and Economic Development Dept. broke cannabis businesses into the following five sub-categories and assigned city zones:
- Craft growing facilities and cultivation centers: All agricultural and industrial zoning districts
- Infuser, processing, and transportation organizations: All industrial zoning districts
- Dispensing businesses with packaged products only: Industrial and business zoning districts
- Co-location of dispensing organization and craft grower or infuser, or both: All agricultural and industrial zoning districts
- Dispensing businesses with on-site consumption: All industrial zoning districts and all business zoning districts except the B1 zone (businesses located within a neighborhood
"The reason for [not including B1 zones] is to parallel some of our regulations for some of our liquor businesses. We would not normally allow a bar to operate in B1, so a cannabis dispensary with on-site consumption is also something we would prohibit," Miles Brainard, from the Community and Economic Development Dept. of the City of Rock Island, said during the hearing.
Additionally, the ordinance does not allow cannabis businesses within 100 feet of a residential zone. It also gives law enforcement the ability to enter and request proper documentation from business owners, similar to an establishment which sells alcohol.
The planning commission approved the plan, but will ask the city council to give more consideration to businesses who wish to infuse cannabis into products after hearing from members of the public.
"That's because of the gentleman that was here. He already has an operation and if he was to get into the cannabis industry, he would have to move his entire business to another location," Renee Applebey, a resident of the Rock Island and Milan area, said, "They are going to allow dispensary with on-site consumption in local areas but most of the other businesses, like infusers, and cultivators, and other dispensaries without on-site consumption have to stay in industrial areas which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me."
The proposal will now go to the Rock Island City Council on October 14. After that, the council will set a date to vote on it.
