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Council opens hearing on smoke/vape shops and cannabis dispensaries; continues item amid pending state law
Summary
Council opened a public hearing on a text amendment to define and regulate smoke/vape shops and cannabis dispensaries, but Planning Board requested more downtown stakeholder input and staff cited pending state legislation that could change how such zoning changes are treated; council continued the hearing to Jan. 6, 2025.
City planning staff opened a public hearing on TA‑2024.4, a proposed text amendment to define and regulate smoke/vape shops and cannabis dispensaries, and explained that Planning Board had continued the item to gather more information and downtown business feedback.
Staff told council that recent North Carolina legislation (Senate Bill 382) changes the statutory definition of “down zoning” to include newly created commercial nonconformities and — if finalized — would require written consent from all impacted property owners in some cases. Staff said the bill was vetoed by the governor on Nov. 26 but later reported the Senate had overridden the veto and that the House action remained pending; staff said they were monitoring the matter closely before advancing local regulations that could create nonconformities.
Given Planning Board concerns and the unsettled state statutory landscape, council voted to continue the public hearing to Jan. 6, 2025, so Planning Board can complete review and staff can assess any state-law impacts. No final local regulatory action was taken at the Dec. 2 meeting.
