Carson City resident Jeannie White, 89, seated to the right, expresses her concerns about a proposed marijuana dispensary near her Bennett Avenue home during Wednesday’s Carson City Planning Commission meeting.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.
The Carson City Planning Commission made clear Wednesday night they’re not in the business of regulating state marijuana policy and sent a proposal for an additional dispensary in south Carson back to the Board of Supervisors without any changes to existing municipal code.
In a closely watched 4-2 vote, with members Jay Wiggins and Sena Loyd voting nay, the commission recommended making no changes to the current code that caps the number of retail dispensaries to two.
Commissioner Charles Borders, who made the motion, said they should “leave it the hell alone.”
“I don’t see it as our jurisdiction,” he said.
Wiggins, the chair of the commission, said it’s not in the planning commission’s purview to decide who gets a license and that they should defer to state law.
Las Vegas-based Qualcan, the applicant, had asked for an amendment in municipal code to increase the number of retail operations from two to three. State law allows the city four. Qualcan’s request for a drive-through at the proposed dispensary was withdrawn.
During public comment, the meeting became a tug-of-war between the applicant and existing Carson producers and dispensaries who feel they’ve abided by the existing code and would want the opportunity for more retail should code be amended.
Michael Cristalli, co-founder of Qualcan, warned of a “monopoly” if local operations clinched additional spots. In contrast, Steve Mahoney, cofounder of Cannabella, said he’s a Carson person and that someone local should have the opportunity to participate.
Planning Manager Heather Ferris clarified that though a license is needed to gain a special use permit from the city for development purposes, marijuana licensing is up to the state Cannabis Compliance Board.
“It has nothing to do with Carson City,” she said.
Public comments came not only from those in the industry, but from residents worried that an increase in dispensaries could lead to public safety problems.
Jeannie White, 89, has lived on Bennett Avenue for 30 years, abutting Qualcan’s proposed dispensary near the intersection of highways 50 and 395.
“This was supposed to be a gateway property, and I expected them to put something nice for the city,” she said by phone earlier this week.
At Wednesday’s meeting, White said she’d be worried about her grandchildren’s safety being so close to a “cash-business” dispensary. She spoke out against the previously proposed drive-through and was glad to see it nixed.
“The eagle is magnificent,” she said, referring to the prominent sculpture at the intersection. “A dispensary sends a different message.”
Planning Commissioner Nathaniel Killgore — who supported leaving existing code as it stands — said public testimony from White and others was touching.
“It’s close to home for some people,” he said, “and that’s not a figure of speech.”
Because planning commissioners refused to change the code to allow for more dispensaries, Qualcan agreed to continue a request for a special use permit. That will now depend on how the Board of Supervisors addresses existing code in the future.
In other action:
• Planning commissioners did unanimously approve a special use permit for the Carson City Public Works Department, which was seeking a 2,111-square-foot addition to their existing fleet maintenance building off Butti Way. To match the existing façade in materials and colors, the addition will house tire repair, tire storage, and welding operations.
• Commissioners also approved, unanimously, a one-year time extension for Pillar Income Asset Management. The applicant already has a special use permit for a multifamily development on South Stewart Street. That permit will now extend to Dec. 15, 2023.
