Members of the Pennington Council have carried a public hearing for a cannabis ordinance restricting operations of retailers and medical dispensaries within the borough to a special meeting on Aug. 9.
The public hearing was carried when the Borough Council met in person for its Aug. 2 meeting.
The ordinance opting in would permit a combined total of three cannabis retailers and medical dispensaries in two borough zones.
The business highway zone and the office business zone would be for cannabis retailers, cannabis delivery services, medical cannabis dispensaries. Additionally, the Mixed Use I zoning district would be for cannabis delivery services only.
The permitted combined total of three cannabis retailers and medical dispensaries in the business highway zone and the office business zone must have one spot in one of the two zones reserved for a medical cannabis dispensary.
According to the ordinance, if no medical dispensary applicant applies, then only two applicants for recreational cannabis can be permitted, while one space is held open for a medical cannabis dispensary.
Prohibited uses in any zone of the borough include recreational cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors; and medical cannabis cultivators, medical cannabis manufacturers and clinical registrants.
All medical and regular cannabis enterprises are also prohibited from Town Center.
Municipalities must pass a cannabis ordinance opting in or opting out by the state deadline of Aug. 21.
If the Borough Council were not to pass an opt-in or opt-out ordinance by Aug. 21, Pennington would be automatically opted in to recreational cannabis class licenses, which would be permitted uses in zones of the municipality.
In the event of a failure to adopt an ordinance, Pennington also would then be prohibited from passing an ordinance for five years.