County Planning Commission to hash out marijuana regulations

Testing, manufacturing, cultivation are the focus

The Gunnison County Planning Commission (GCPC) will take one more look at the proposed marijuana regulations for the county before sending them on to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for a public hearing, review and approval.

Manufacturing, testing and cultivation are the three areas covered by the proposed regulations, with retail sales being left to the municipalities within the county. The final review will occur Friday, June 27, with the BOCC public hearing set for Tuesday, July 1.
At issue are licensing and land use, the former carrying rules similar to those for acquiring a liquor license and the latter to comply with the county’s Land Use Resolution (LUR).
“So the bottom line of this is, ‘harmonious,’” said Planning Commissioner Jeremy Rubingh. Russ Forrest, the county’s director of community development, agreed. The idea is to locate these businesses where they will go unnoticed and have little or no impact on adjacent properties.
The process for anyone interested in starting such a business would include a pre-application meeting with county staff, a background check on the applicant, and an LUR review.
The general philosophy guiding the creation of the regulations and the process for acquiring a permit includes:
The operation will have no impact on adjacent property or neighbors.
There will be no significant degradation of the property. It must be harmonious with adjacent use.
The operation will not be identifiable as a marijuana facility.
LUR licensing regulations will address land use and organizational use of the facility.
“Odor, fire and security are also significant issues,” said Forrest.
Those hoping to set up shop in an existing building in one of the county’s industrial parks may require only administrative review. Others who want to use a property they already own for one of the listed business operations will go through the LUR process for minor impact review.