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Ephrata committee advances zoning text amendment to allow dispensaries, smoke shops and tobacco stores; short‑term rental rules flagged for further study
Summary
The Development Activities Committee reviewed a proposed zoning text amendment to permit medical marijuana dispensaries, smoke shops and tobacco stores in specified commercial and industrial districts and will forward the amendment recommendation to Council; Vice Chair Musser separately urged allowing short‑term rentals in the CBD by right, an issue the committee will revisit.
The Development Activities Committee on Feb. 9 reviewed a proposed zoning text amendment that would allow medical marijuana dispensaries, smoke shops and tobacco stores in the Highway Commercial (HCD), Light Industrial/Commercial (LIC) and General Industrial/Commercial (GIC) districts and will forward its recommendation to Borough Council.
Lancaster County Planning staff and the borough Planning Commission both reviewed the draft amendment and recommended approval, citing the change as a minor text amendment. Committee members discussed the geographic scope — limited to HCD, LIC and GIC — and the potential land‑use effects of permitting those uses in commercial and industrial areas.
Committee Vice Chair Musser said he believes short‑term rentals should be permitted in the Central Business District (CBD) by right rather than by special exception, noting the issue survived prior revisions to Ordinance 1603 and requires additional committee discussion. The committee did not take final action on short‑term rental rules and scheduled further consideration before making a recommendation to Council.
The proposed zoning text amendment and the short‑term rental question will be considered by Borough Council at its next meeting after the committee provides its recommendation. The committee record cites Lancaster County Planning’s Jan. 15, 2026 review and the Planning Commission’s Nov. 18, 2025 recommendation as the primary reviews of the amendment.
