Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cannabis Regulation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Providence committee aligns cannabis zoning rules with state licensing order
Summary
The committee approved an amendment to Chapter 27 of the zoning ordinance to reverse the order of approvals so city approval precedes state licensing, matching state regulations and reducing regulatory friction for applicants.
Providence — On Nov. 3 a Providence City committee voted to amend Chapter 27 of the zoning ordinance to align the city's approval process for cannabis establishments with state licensing rules.
Robert Azar, deputy director of the Department of Planning and Development, told the committee that the city's prior language required applicants to secure state approval before city approval. He said that state regulations, by contrast, require city approval first. “The way our ordinance had been written... was that you needed to get state approval before you got city approval. But the way they wrote their regulations is that you need to get city approval first before you get state approval,” Azar said, explaining the need to reverse the order of operations so applicants can proceed through the state process without hitches.
Committee members had no further questions and Councilor Peterson moved to approve Item 2; Councilwoman Harris seconded. The motion carried by voice vote and the chair declared Item 2 approved.
The amendment changes the city’s zoning review steps for cannabis-establishment applicants so that municipal approvals align with state licensing order. No specific state statute or regulation was cited in the transcript; the department described the change as an administrative alignment to avoid regulatory conflicts.
