Jersey City Planning Board To Review Cannabis Regulations

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The city is presenting the Planning Board with the first amendments to cannabis establishment zoning regulations. Jersey City has until August 21 to take action on amendments, zoning, licensing and regulations around cannabis establishments, per state law.

Tuesday is the first of two meetings the city is holding with the planning board to go over zoning for cannabis establishments — the goal is to have the zoning plans introduced to the City Council by July 14.

The second Planning Board meeting is scheduled for June 22 where the city will recommend opening the discussion to public comment and board action. Tuesday's meeting is a first reading.

In November, New Jersey residents voted to legalize recreational marijuana — Jersey City's municipal council voted in January to implement a 2 percent tax on medical marijuana sales. The tax money will go to affordable housing in the city.

Under the city's proposed regulations, five categories of cannabis establishments would be allowed to operate:

• Class 1 – Cannabis Cultivator
• Class 2 – Cannabis Manufacturer
• Class 3 – Cannabis Wholesaler
• Class 4 – Cannabis Distributor
• Class 5 – Cannabis Retailer

Applications for any category would have to go before the city's land use board and provide a public notice, since the establishments are allowed under a conditional use per the Municipal Land Use Law. Jersey City's land use board requires much of the same paperwork that the state requires — this includes a community and economic impact plan for each proposed establishment, a record of the applicant's social responsibility, a job creation plan and a labor peace agreement.

The applications are part of a safeguard for the city and state to ensure that the establishments are having a positive impact on the community, both economically and socially.

Jersey City is opting out of Cannabis Consumption Areas, or otherwise known as onsite consumption areas, "until local licensing are promulgated," according to the city's presentation.

A school buffer is recommended in the city's presentation. The city is recommending 200 feet between the main entry of a cannabis retailer and schools, although the measurement could be decreased, "since there are high concentration of schools excluding large areas of commercial areas," the presentation reads. Cannabis establishments themselves must also keep a 200-foot distance from one another under the regulations — in other words, cannabis cultivators, wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers can't be packed next to each other. The only exception is for cannabis micro-businesses, which are essentially small businesses for cannabis that have under 10 employees and possess or acquire no more than 1,000 cannabis plants each month or 1,000 pounds of usable cannabis.

Cannabis retailers would be allowed in the following zoning districts, according to the application:

• Neighborhood Commercial (NC), Palisade Avenue Mixed Use Multi-Family Attached Housing District (R-2D), Commercial/Automotive (C/A), Highway Commercial (HC), Waterfront Planned Development (WPD), Central Business District (CBD), and Office/Residential (O/R).
• Any district, zone, overlay, or subdistrict of a Redevelopment Plan where retail sales of goods and services is a permitted principal use

The full presentation that will go before the Planning Board is available online, as well as supporting documents relating to cannabis establishments in Jersey City. Questions, comments and concerns about the presentation or cannabis establishments in the city can be directed to Matt Ward at City Planning at 201-547-5010 or by emailing mward@jcnj.org and cityplanning@jcnj.org.

Also Read:

• Medical Marijuana Company Submits Plans To Open In Jersey City
• Marijuana Is Now Officially Legal In New Jersey
• Jersey City Can't Decriminalize Marijuana: OAG

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