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Holly Springs council denies hemp permit for retail site, grandfathers CBD and tobacco sales
Summary
The Holly Springs City Council on Jan. 8 denied a conditional-use permit to add hemp products to a retail license at 2200 Holly Springs Parkway but voted to grandfather existing CBD and tobacco sales; the council also approved a short extension for remaining inventory and renewed an ESRI software contract.
The Holly Springs City Council on Jan. 8 voted 3-0 to deny a conditional-use permit that would have allowed hemp products to be added to a retailer’s license at 2200 Holly Springs Parkway, while approving a provision to grandfather existing CBD and tobacco sales at that location.
City planning staff told the council that the agenda listed applicant Denny Blackburn and that the request affects a Walmart location that is seeking to add hemp to its existing business license. "This particular conditional use permit request is for Walmart, and they are requesting to add hemp to their existing business license," planning staff said. The staff recommendation, consistent with a Planning Commission decision on Dec. 18, was to deny the permit to add hemp and to allow existing CBD and tobacco sales to continue under a grandfathering allowance.
Council members moved and seconded a motion to deny the conditional-use permit while approving the grandfathering of tobacco and CBD sales; the motion carried unanimously, 3-0. Planning staff noted the property was located near a church and other institutions and described distances and site constraints during the presentation.
Public commenters had urged the council to weigh broader land-use and infrastructure effects as it considered zoning and retail questions. Mark Pretorius, a Falls Of Cherokee resident and HOA board member, said "high density housing being placed in residential neighborhoods is inherently destructive to the neighborhoods," and asked the council to adhere to growth boundaries and zoning commitments. Brian Scully emphasized that "your city's comprehensive plan and future land use map are not just technical documents," urging that the West Residential District remain lower density. Deborah Frieden raised stormwater and traffic concerns, saying the community "need[s] to look at watershed velocity and water quality" and suggested engineering fixes such as a diverging-diamond interchange at the Sixes Road/I-575 area.
Votes at a glance: the council approved the consent agenda (Dec. 15, 2025 minutes) 3-0; denied CUP-62025 with grandfathering for existing CBD and tobacco sales 3-0; approved ORD-0226 to extend time for businesses with existing hemp/THC inventory until March 31, 2026 (staff had recommended a three-month extension) 3-0; and approved a renewal of the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) GIS licensing and maintenance agreement for an amount not to exceed $6,875, 3-0. The council adjourned at the end of the meeting.
What happened next: The council did not direct additional zoning study or take other land-use actions in this meeting; affected parties may pursue matters at Planning and Zoning hearings where pending zoning cases are heard.
