The Las Cruces Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve a special-use permit for a cannabis dispensary proposed at 1103 South Solano Drive.

City planner Adam Machoia, representing the City of Las Cruces Planning, Zoning and Community Development Department, told the commission the property is zoned NH3 (Neighborhood 3 — Urban) under the recently adopted Realize Las Cruces development code and that the code requires a special-use permit for cannabis retail in that zone. Machoia said the proposed dispensary is roughly 197 feet from an existing dispensary at 1128 South Solano and that Realize Las Cruces requires a permit when a proposed dispensary is within 300 feet of an existing one. He added the site met other buffer-distance requirements from schools and daycares.

Machoia said staff found no public-safety or life-safety issues with the proposal and treated the business as it would any other commercial use. He noted the site plan as submitted appears to meet the city's development standards for parking and drive aisles. Because the property lies in a Mixed-Use Redevelopment Area (MRA) under Realize Las Cruces, landscaping requirements may be reduced and the site plan reflects the MRA allowance, Machoia said. He also stated that notice was sent to adjacent property owners and staff received two phone calls from the public: one opposing the specific location and another opposing dispensaries generally.

Commissioners asked for clarification about the triggers in the new code, off-street parking and landscaping. Machoia confirmed that under the urban zoning designation the downtown/urban rules do not impose a minimum parking requirement but the applicant is providing off-street parking and that the submitted site plan showed the landscaping and planter areas that meet the MRA calculations.

Following the presentation, no members of the public spoke on the item. Commissioner Acosta said he supported staff's recommendation, noting the proposal "meets all city and state requirements" and "will operate like any other business in the area." The commission then voted to approve the special-use permit 4-0.

The approved permit requires the business to follow all applicable city requirements and the State of New Mexico rules governing cannabis retail operations. The applicant must also implement the site improvements shown on the approved plan and comply with any conditions the city includes in its permit document.