Planning Commission recommends City Council adopt limited non‑storefront medical cannabis delivery ordinance

The Gardena Planning Commission voted Dec. 3 to recommend that City Council adopt Ordinance 18‑77, a zoning amendment to allow non‑storefront medical cannabis delivery operations (storage and dispatch only) in certain industrial zones under strict distance and operational rules.

Staff told the commission the item responds to recent state changes that require jurisdictions to allow limited non‑storefront cannabis operations. Amanda (staff) explained the draft ordinance would keep the city’s existing prohibitions on retail storefronts, cultivation and other cannabis uses but would permit facilities that only store product for delivery to medical patients. To limit local impacts, staff proposed a 300‑foot minimum distance between a non‑storefront location and mobile‑home parks (reduced from an earlier 600‑foot draft) and retained industrial‑area siting restrictions.

Commissioners asked about security, signage and advertising. Staff said the ordinance would set operational and licensing requirements (to be enforced through a license process with the Police Department) and would prohibit overt advertising and storefront‑style signage indicating marijuana storage on site. Chair Henderson and others noted the city was required by state law to permit this narrow type of use and that adjacent jurisdictions with broader allowances (e.g., Hawthorne) may draw more commercial operators.

On a roll call vote the commission recommended adoption of Ordinance 18‑77 (Resolution PC21‑24) and forwarded the recommendation to City Council.