Belmar Starts Discussion On Allowing Cannabis Retail In Town

BELMAR, NJ – As surrounding towns like Wall Township and Manasquan are starting to outline their stances regarding the legalization of marijuana in the state, the Belmar borough council discussed potential actions during Tuesday’s council meeting.

Mayor Mark Walsifer initiated the discussion during the workshop portion on the advice of Borough Attorney Jerry Dasti, who said that the borough has to start formulating a plan.

There was a second reading and public hearing on the docket about banning cannabis smoking on municipal property, which was passed at this meeting. Still, the mayor wanted to get thoughts from the council on a municipal stance as a whole.

“We’re really going to have to start to take a look at this,” Walsifer said. “Are we going to allow cannabis to be sold in Belmar, or are we going to create an ordinance because whatever we do in place for five years.”

Council President Patricia Wann said that she is not for the sale of cannabis in the borough.

“We still have a family town, and in spite of all our tourists that come in and kids who rent the houses, it's still a family town, and I’d like to keep it that way,” Wann said during the meeting.

“The other towns are doing it. Why can’t we do it? Why can’t we take a stand and just say no, we don’t want to do it.”

Councilman Thomas Brennan spoke next, acknowledging that he is a “long-time advocate of legalized cannabis” and has a medicinal card.

“I’m very much in favor,” Brennan said.“The residents of Belmar voted more than two to one in favor of the question.”

Brennan wanted to point out the space needed for cultivation and production and retail along with parking, stating that the borough simply doesn’t have the room for it and that potential dispensaries are looking for places like industrial parks and strip malls.

“They’re not looking for Main Street in Belmar,” Brennan said.

Councilman James McCracken said that he would ban cannabis sales in the borough after seeing people smoking pot out in public near outdoor restaurants while out on a walk on the boardwalk last weekend.

“I have concerns about the potential sale of marijuana in town,” McCracken said. “Perhaps from a logistical standpoint, we aren’t the most ideal location that a retailer would be looking for, but we do have vacant space where West Marine used to be in Belmar Plaza that has parking.”

McCracken also brought up that due to the summertime influx of visitors, logistical concerns like parking would even matter.

“My concern is that we would become a destination point if we had retail sales of marijuana in Belmar for folks to solely come for that purpose, and I’m uncomfortable with having that type of retail location in our community,” McCracken said.

Fellow councilman Tom Carvelli echoed the concerns raised by McCracken and would support a ban but would want to get the public’s perspective on the subject before putting that into motion.

“My first inclination is to ban the sale (of cannabis). However, I would like to hear from the public on this,” Carvelli said.