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Coatesville council approves first reading of zoning amendments to regulate dispensaries, smoke shops and hookah lounges
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Summary
Council voted 6-0 to approve first reading and advertisement of wide-ranging amendments to Chapter 224 that add definitions and regulations for dispensaries, smoke shops, hookah lounges, and small convenience stores, and place some uses in C-1/C-4 and industrial districts; a public zoning hearing is required before final adoption.
Coatesville City Council on Nov. 24 approved first reading and advertisement of an omnibus set of zoning changes that add definitions and use regulations for dispensaries, tobacco/smoke shops and hookah lounges, and insert new retail and bulk standards for small convenience stores.
Solicitor Robert Jefferson, who presented the ordinance language, said the draft adds definitions for "cannabinoid," "dispensary/dispenser facility," and "grower/processor," and establishes dispensary regulations that are designed to track state controls. "In 2016, there was an act called Act 16 of 2016. And it's the Medical Marijuana Act," Jefferson said as he explained the state framework the city is referencing. The motion for first reading (moved by Councilwoman Charrisse Allen; seconded by Vice President Carmen Green) passed 6-0.
The ordinance adds dispensary facilities and related uses to C-4 areas and inserts grower/processor uses into the I-1/I-2 industrial districts. It also creates discrete regulations for tobacco stores/smoke shops and hookah bars, covering hours, ventilation and proximity standards. The draft includes bulk and area minimums for a small convenience store (minimum lot area 3,000 sq. ft.; minimum lot width 70 feet; building coverage 50%; lot coverage 80%), placed in an attachment to the ordinance for clarity.
Assistant City Manager Roberta Cosentino said the ordinance grew out of council concerns and multi-month work by the Planning Commission and Chester County Planning Commission review: "All of this work really started here in this room," she said, noting county comments were incorporated and that the city must now proceed with a public zoning hearing before final adoption.
Council members asked staff to clarify where the new uses would be permitted; Jefferson and Cosentino said the C-4 districts are near the bypass/Route 82 corridor and the flats area, which is why dispensary and related commercial uses are located there in the draft. No final vote on adoption was taken; the item is scheduled for the required public hearing and subsequent readings under state zoning procedures.
Next steps: the ordinance will be advertised and scheduled for the public zoning hearing; further revisions may follow after public comment and county review.