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Council To Consider Seven Pot Shops

Council To Consider Seven Pot Shop Applications

Mar 24, 2019 | 2:00 PM

The first applications for legal recreational pot shops will be before Vernon council for approval Monday afternoon.

Staff are recommending all seven of the proposals be supported by council and forwarded to the province for final approval.

One application at 102-2500 53rd Avenue appears to be drawing the most opposition, including a petition against it.

The House of Dwarves Daycare is just 85 metres away, and some adjoining businesses have concerns.

“Please note our objection to this type of retail store in our building,” writes Brent and Paulette Holomis of Maxton Industries Ltd in unit 103 of the complex across from C-Lovers Fish and Chips. “This is a professional building that entails a fitness centre, a dental office, an insurance company and ourselves in the construction sector, and we feel strongly that this is not a good representation of our professional building and strongly oppose the application to have a Cannabis Retail store in the same premises.”

The dental office, Dr. Arek Siwoski, says he doesn’t oppose the application but has concerns about minimal parking for the businesses in the strata.

Applicants Sarah and Carson Ballantyne says they have signage planned for their 5 allocated parking spots. They say the petition by one owner in the building is completely inappropriate.

“He has threatened to use his position with the City of Vernon and relationship with city councillors to sabotage our application,” they write in a letter to council.

Among the other applications for non medical cannabis shops are one from the Hemp and Wellness store at 114-5601 Anderson Way that had been open since 2016, and closed when pot became legal back in October.

Another is at 106-4412 27th Street, about 400 metres from Seaton School, while another is in the former Liquidation World building at 3301 30th Ave.

Other applications are sites at 4513 25th Avenue (by Longhorn Pub, Papa John’s), 2913-30th Avenue (across from Towne Theatre) and 3004 31st Street (site of Kush Organics).

Several more cannabis store applications are expected to come before council is the next few weeks including one for a BC Cannabis Store in the north end operated by the government.