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Council defeats dispensary zoning bill after debate over distance measurements and residential buffers
Summary
The Anne Arundel County Council voted down Bill 29‑26, a sponsored ordinance revising distance measurements for licensed cannabis dispensaries, after debate over whether setbacks should be measured lot line‑to‑lot line and concerns the bill’s 100‑foot residential buffer could unduly restrict where dispensaries locate.
The Anne Arundel County Council on July 6 voted to defeat Bill 29‑26, a zoning ordinance that would set distance requirements for licensed cannabis dispensaries, following a partisan debate over how to measure setbacks and whether the proposal would conflict with state restrictions.
Sponsor James Folke asked the council for an "up or down vote" and argued the bill adopts an objective lot‑line‑to‑lot‑line measurement that avoids ambiguity about where to measure. "If we measure it exactly from lot line to lot line, then we're not having to guess where the entryway is," Folke said, urging colleagues to support what he described as a reasonable course forward.
Ethan Hunt, speaking for the administration, urged the council to vote the bill down. He told members the state has added a provision preventing political subdivisions from making zoning for licensed dispensaries more restrictive than for retail dealers and warned the bill’s 100‑foot buffer from residential uses could inhibit businesses from locating. "We would urge the Council not to pass this bill," Hunt said.
Council debate referenced the county’s 2019 treatment of medical dispensary rules, when members unanimously amended an earlier bill to measure lot line to lot line; colleagues noted, however, that the 2019 bill itself passed on party lines and that past votes do not determine current legal constraints. One council member said she supported creating a clear standard for measuring distances but could not back this bill because of concerns about the residential buffer.
The council called the roll on the amended Bill 29‑26 and recorded three votes in the affirmative and four in the negative; the bill was defeated.
What happens next: The defeat leaves the county without the proposed standardized measurement in this ordinance. Council members and administration staff referenced state law and lingering ambiguities; any future effort to set measurement rules will likely be subject to further consultation with legal staff and the administration.
