The Hopewell Township Committee has tabled dual cannabis ordinances opting in to certain cannabis licenses and fully opting out of licenses.
The Township Committee will hold the carried public hearings at a meeting on Aug. 16. Public hearings had been scheduled for the committee’s Aug. 2 meeting.
“By Aug. 21 the township has to have a cannabis ordinance in place. Currently, there are two separate ordinances before the committee,” said Scott Miccio, township attorney from law firm Parker McCay. “One would opt out of all classes of cannabis throughout the township and the other would opt in to cultivation and manufacturing under certain conditions in the VRC (Valley Resource Conservation) zone.”
The dual ordinances make sure the township meets the state deadline and makes certain the issue is fully vetted by the Township Committee and the public, he added.
At the Aug. 16 meeting, both ordinances will appear on the agenda and a decision will be made by members of the Township Committee on what direction the township would go regarding cannabis businesses licenses.
“The only conditions and only licenses the Township Committee is considering at this point are the first and second licenses, which allow for one, cultivation, and two, manufacturing/processing,” Mayor Julie Blake said. “Those two options are in the second ordinance. We have to do something on Aug. 16.”
Cannabis cultivation and manufacturing would be conditional uses in the VRC Zone. The conditions include that the lot be at least 50 acres in size, located no more than two miles from the interstate interchange, and have a minimum lot coverage of 15%.