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Residents oppose proposed cannabis dispensary site; county official says 100‑foot restriction coming
Summary
County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz attended Kensington’s May 7 meeting and said a zoning text amendment proposing a 100-foot proximity restriction for cannabis dispensaries has been submitted and would take effect July 2025; multiple residents urged the Town to challenge the dispensary’s location and the council agreed to send a letter to the Maryland Cannabis Administration.
County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz attended the Kensington Town Council meeting May 7 to answer questions about a proposed cannabis dispensary at 3740 University Blvd. Albornoz said the County has submitted a zoning text amendment to add a 100-foot restriction on a dispensary’s proximity to residential neighborhoods; the rule would be effective in July 2025 and would not apply retroactively. He said county staff planned to send a letter to the Maryland Cannabis Administration to ask whether an error was made about the dispensary’s measured distance from places of worship.
Multiple residents — John Anderson, Todd Frankel, Roger Fritts, Matthew Rand, Rob Sachs and Leslie Westbrook — spoke in opposition to the proposed location. Christina Betancourt Johnson provided background on cannabis legislation, licensing and regulations and suggested contacting Tabatha Robinson at the Maryland Cannabis Administration for clarification. Town Attorney Ferguson told the Council that the Town does not have zoning authority over business types in this context. The Council concurred to send a letter to the Maryland Cannabis Administration regarding the distance from places of worship.
Next steps: the Council’s concurrence to send a letter does not appear to have been recorded as a formal vote; county and state agencies will be the primary decision-makers on siting and licensing.
