SCHENECTADY — A new zoning proposal is currently under review by the City Council of Schenectady, which could potentially prevent cannabis retail outlets from establishing within 500 feet of child care centers and various youth-centric locations such as dance studios and gyms.
On Nov. 12, the council passed a 90-day moratorium, effectively halting new cannabis stores from submitting applications for building permits, land-use approvals, and certificates of occupancy until Feb. 11. This pause allows lawmakers to deliberate on zoning restrictions for cannabis shops in the city.
Earlier in June, the council had approved zoning that confines smoke and vape shops to the C-4 downtown mixed-use district, the C-5 business district, the M-1 light manufacturing and warehousing district, and the M-2 manufacturing and warehousing district.
The proposed zoning for cannabis shops, put forth by the city’s corporation counsel office, is an extension of the vape shop zoning. It suggests that cannabis retail outlets should be limited to the M-1, M-2, C-4, and C-5 zoned districts, as well as the C-2 mixed-use commercial district and C-3 waterfront district.
According to the proposal, potential cannabis shop owners would need to secure special-use permits from the city planning commission to open retail stores in the C-2 and C-3 zoning districts.
The proposed zoning changes would not impact the four existing cannabis shops in the city or businesses that applied for permits before Nov. 13.
State regulations already prohibit cannabis dispensaries from being located within 500 feet of or on the same street as a school, within 200 feet of a house of worship, or 1,000 feet of another dispensary.
The proposed Schenectady zoning, inspired by zoning adopted by the town of Babylon in Suffolk County last year, also includes restrictions that would prevent new cannabis shops from opening within 500 feet of parks, playgrounds, batting cages, and youth organizations where children under the age of 17 are likely to gather.
The Schenectady City Council has forwarded the proposed cannabis zoning to the city planning commission for review. A public hearing on the changes is tentatively scheduled for the council’s Jan. 13 meeting.
City Council President Marion Porterfield expressed her concerns about using Babylon as a benchmark, given that the Long Island town has a population of approximately 218,000, which is triple the size of Schenectady. She also voiced her concerns about the proposal’s use of lot lines to establish the 500 feet between potential cannabis shops and nearby parks and child care centers, instead of using a 500-foot radius for the restrictions.
“We’re using a town that’s more than twice the size than the city of Schenectady,” Porterfield said. “Usually when you want to make comparisons, you use something of a comparable size.”
Assistant Corporation Counsel Sean O’Brien pointed out during the council’s Nov. 18 meeting that the town of Babylon has not faced any challenges from the state since implementing its own cannabis zoning in October 2022.
Cities are allowed to adopt local laws that determine the permissible location for cannabis dispensaries, provided these restrictions do not conflict with state law.
“I’m using them as a model because they’ve had this on their books since 2023 and they haven’t gotten pushback from this,” O’Brien said of Babylon.
Porterfield plans to send a letter to the city planning commission before its next meeting on Dec. 18, outlining her concerns about the proposed zoning.
“I’m doing some background and research and I’m going to send them a letter with my concerns,” Porterfield said. “I also feel like, whenever you identify a problem, you have to have some possible solutions, so I’m doing that as well.”
The potential zoning changes come nearly two years after the city’s first cannabis dispensary, Upstate Canna Co., opened on upper Union Street in March 2023. Since then, the People’s Joint has opened on State Street, Electric City Cannabis Co. opened on Lower Broadway, and Grass & Goodness dispensary opened at 1650 Crane St. on Saturday.
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Agree – This is a necessary step to ensure the well-being of our community and prevent potential issues with marijuana-related businesses in certain areas.
Agree – Zoning regulations are important to maintain order and protect the community from potential issues related to marijuana businesses.
Disagree – Prohibiting stores in certain areas could limit access to legal marijuana for those who need it for medical purposes.
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