Comox council has turned down an application for a non-medical cannabis retail store which was proposed for 278 Anderton Road.
Prime Cannabis Corp. submitted a proposal for a commercial strata lot on the second storey of an existing building location. The licence was for Unit A, which would have had no visibility from the road other than the presence of a fascia sign.
The location was a factor in Coun. Maureen Swift’s decision to not support the application.
“All of a sudden … you’re going to enter a small narrow hallway at night, you go down a small corridor – because of the provincial regulations – they are asked to have opaque windows, and to me, this is not a safe situation. It’s not safe for the public going in, and it’s not safe for the workers that are going to be sitting there. There’s no street presence, and I think this is a critical issue.”
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Coun. Pat McKenna voted in favour of the application and reminded councillors that the past council approved bylaws and zoning requirements in which the application followed.
“They set the rules of the game, we’re following the rules of the game, and what is it going to say to a business when ‘here’s the rules you have to play by, and you fulfill all of these rules, but in the end, we’re going to deny it?’ “
Acting mayor Ken Grant agreed with Swift and did not support the motion, and adds he would have felt more comfortable if the shop was located at the front of the building rather than down a long hallway.
During the vote, the motion was tied 2-2 with Couns. Stephanie McGowan and McKenna voting in favour, resulting in it being defeated.
Couns. Alex Bissinger and Nicole Minions both excused themselves from the vote due to a conflict of interest.
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