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Hanover planners begin drafting cannabis zoning, agree to include IUP and mirror liquor buffers for retail
Summary
City Planner Cindy Nash introduced a draft approach to comply with state cannabis zoning requirements; commissioners agreed to add an interim use permit for retail cannabis and to mirror established retail liquor buffer distances from parks, schools and other sensitive sites.
City Planner Cindy Nash told the Hanover Planning Commission that state requirements now obligate local governments to designate zoning districts for cannabis businesses and that staff will prepare a draft ordinance for commission review at the October meeting.
Nash outlined key elements staff expect to include: definitions for cannabis retail establishments, licensing and registration considerations, a recommended fee schedule, and an Interim Use Permit (IUP) requirement for cannabis retail districts. Commissioners agreed that an IUP requirement should be included in the draft ordinance.
Commissioners and local business owners focused on buffer distances. The commission discussed buffers between cannabis retail establishments and parks used by minors, schools, churches and daycare facilities. Local business representatives—Chadd Perkins of Hanover Wine & Spirits and Chad Brink of Big Bore BBQ—urged the commission to follow the city’s existing retail liquor-license buffer distances and flagged potential liability concerns for businesses if buffer rules differ. Planner Nash recommended following established retail liquor buffer requirements and the commission agreed to include those distances in the forthcoming draft.
Commissioners also discussed buffers specific to cannabis manufacturing uses, noting the industrial park’s proximity to Settler’s Park and raising a 500‑foot buffer as a planning consideration. No ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the discussion produced direction to prepare a draft ordinance that includes the IUP requirement and retail buffer distances for formal consideration at the October meeting.
