Kent County adopts assisted-living zoning change; opens record for cannabis reinvestment bill and introduces kennel-license rules

Kent County commissioners on April 15 adopted a zoning change on assisted-living facilities, opened the public record for a local cannabis-revenue reinvestment bill and introduced a first-reading ordinance to create a licensing process for fox-hunting club dog kennels.

The board voted to adopt Code Home Rule (CHR) 1-2025 on third reading, a measure that adds assisted-living facilities as a permitted use in the critical-area residential and community-residential zones. County Attorney Tom read the procedural options for the ordinance before the vote. "I'll make a motion to adopt code and form a new bill 1 dash 20 25," a commissioner moved; the motion passed and the chair said, "The ayes have it."

The vote implements the version of CHR 1 that was presented at prior hearings; the clerk confirmed no written comments were received after the public hearing date. Commissioners were given the choice to adopt as written, adopt with amendments or reject the bill; they adopted the bill as presented.

Separately, the board opened a public hearing record for CHR 2-2025, "Community Reinvestment and Repair Commission and Special Revenue Fund." County staff said the bill would establish Kent County's local management board (LMB) as the county's Community Reinvestment and Repair Commission to oversee local allocations from the state Cannabis Reform Act of 2023. The bill would create a special revenue fund, define permitted uses for the funding (targeted to underinvested and disproportionately impacted communities), and explicitly prohibit using the funds for law-enforcement activities or to supplant existing local program funding. Commissioner motion closed the public hearing that night but left the record open until close of business on April 18, 2025.

Shelley, a county staff member, briefed the board on the CHR 2 proposal and said the local share is derived from 35% of the state's 9% cannabis excise tax; the board was told the LMB would make recommendations on how to allocate the local funds. No members of the public had signed up to testify at the hearing; the board voted to keep the record open for written comments until April 18 so residents could submit input.

The board also introduced CHR 3-2025 on first reading, which would amend the animal-control ordinance to establish licensing procedures for fox-hunting club dog kennels. County counsel summarized CHR 9-2024 (previously adopted) as background and left CHR 3 for a future public hearing. A county representative for the fox-hunting community described the draft as intended to balance the tradition of fox hunting and protections for neighboring properties; commissioners voted to schedule the measure for public comment.

No amendments or roll-call vote tallies naming each commissioner were recorded on the CHR 1 adoption in the meeting transcript; commissioners announced the motion, a second and the chair declared the motions carried.