Keeping Up With the Palins: Wasilla council debates planned pot shop adjacent to city limits
WASILLA — Wasilla’s City Council officially is on record asking the Mat-Su Borough Planning Commission to deny a conditional use permit for a marijuana retail facility adjacent to the Wasilla city limits. At Monday evening’s regular session which saw a light agenda, Councilman Tim Burney asked Resolution 17-21 to be pulled off the consent agenda and placed under new business.
At issue is a planned marijuana retail establishment application to be located at 3361 West Machen Road. That places it adjacent to Wasilla city limit boundaries. The borough planning commission is expected to hold a public hearing concerning the application at its July 17 meeting.
Burney said he pulled it off the consent agenda and moved it to new business because he wanted additional information on the city’s request for a “no sales” buffer zone around the city limits. Mayor Bert Cottle explained that while marijuana sales are legal in most of the Mat-Su, residents of Wasilla voted down similar sales inside city limits. Cottle said following the borough vote, the city requested a 1,000-foot buffer around its boundaries. The mayor said at one point, the assembly considered 500 feet but ultimately rejected any buffer.
The topic of city annexation came up for discussion. Cottle said under current state statutes governing retail pot sales, there is no grandfathering in any retail or growing facilities. The mayor said the at present, any such business located inside any future annexed lands would have 90 days to relocate outside the city limits or face closing its doors.
Read more: http://www.frontiersman.com/news/wasilla-council-debates-planned-pot-shop-adjacent-to-city-limits/article_b5e101ca-5126-11e7-8596-471aadd59083.html
