An Ordinance to amend Chapter 334 Licenses and Permits within the municipal code to allow for licensing of adult cannabis retailers within the Retail Marijuana Overlay District.

Adds a licensing framework for adult-use marijuana retailers in Amesbury's Retail Marijuana Overlay District. Caps the number of licenses at 40% of the city's alcohol licenses, rounded up, with a minimum of two licenses. Ties licensing decisions to the city's zoning plan.

approved CITYWIDE

STEP 1

Submitted

OCT 08 2024
STEP 2 · CURRENT

Approved

DEC 10 2024

AI summary · plain-language

The ordinance adds a new licensing framework to Chapter 334 to authorize licensing of Adult Use Marijuana Establishments (adult cannabis retailers) within Amesbury's Retail Marijuana Overlay District, aligning cannabis licensing with the city’s zoning framework. It sets a numeric cap on licenses: no more than 40% of the city’s existing licenses for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages not for on-premise consumption, rounded up, with a minimum of two licenses. A companion zoning amendment (2024-099) is noted as part of the regulatory approach.

Generated by an LLM. Not legal text. Read the official ordinance for binding language.

Key provisions

§1 Adds Chapter 334, Section 6: Licensing Adult Use Marijuana Establishments.

§2 Caps Adult Use Marijuana Retail Establishments at 40% of alcohol licenses, rounded up, within the Retail Marijuana Overlay District.

§3 Licensing authority applies the cap per the Amesbury Zoning Ordinance.

§4 Minimum number of licensed retail establishments is two.

Discussed at meetings

City Council **REVISED** City Council MeetingDecember 10, 2024

approve2024-132

Accept 2024-132 with the revisions changing 40% to 30%, changing "issued" to "allowed," and striking the last sentence, "The minimum number of allowed retail licenses shall be two (2)."

MOVED BY COUNCILOR GILDAY · SECONDED BY COUNCILOR HAGGSTROM · VOTE: PASSED VIA ROLL CALL 5-4

City Council City Council MeetingOctober 22, 2024

2024-132Ordinance — Licensing Adult Cannabis Retailers (2024-132)

City Council Ordinance & Administration Committee MeetingOctober 21, 2024

approve2024-132

Councilor Rinaldi moved to return 2024-132 to the full City Council with a positive recommendation with three suggested revisions: that the reference section be taken out, removing the first "whereas" on page 1 and the portion of the 2nd Whereas that follows "(KP Law)" (from "and detailed in multiple..." through "through Zoning Ordinance.").

MOVED BY COUNCILOR RINALDI · SECONDED BY COUNCILOR GILDAY · VOTE: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY (2-0)

2024-1322024-132 An Ordinance to amend Chapter 334 Licenses and Permits to allow for licensing of adult cannabis retailers within the Retail Marijuana Overlay District – Councilor Stanganelli and Councilor Rinaldi Sponsors

City Council City Council MeetingOctober 8, 2024

refer2024-132

Refer 2024-132 to the Ordinance and Administration Committee with a second reading on October 22.

MOVED BY COUNCILOR GILDAY · SECONDED BY COUNCILOR HOGG · VOTE: APPROVED 7-0

2024-132Ordinance - Adult Cannabis Retailer Licensing (2024-132)