As Pomona eyes allowing up to eight legal cannabis businesses, one questioned lingers: Where would they go?
Elected officials agreed they didn’t want any businesses within a 1,000 feet of sensitive neighbors, such such as K-12 schools, daycare facilities, recreation centers and from other legal cannabis businesses.
A draft of a map released by the city this week identified 12 areas where they could operate.
“We want to approach this very cautiously and conservatively to build trust in the community,” Mayor Tim Sandoval said Wednesday.
In a joint meeting Wednesday, the City Council and Planning Commission got their first chance to discuss the proposed ordinance, which will designate the specific zones where cannabis businesses would be allowed to operate.
On April 1, Pomona amended its code to allow and establish the regulatory framework for a cannabis business application process.
The ordinance it allows micro-businesses, retailer-storefronts, testing laboratory, manufacturing, distribution and indoor cultivation. Micro-businesses could have multiple uses under one operation, such as cultivation and distribution, said Anita Gutierrez, Development Services director.
Elected official are currently looking at only allowing permits for the following uses: two retail, two micro-businesses and four industrial, Councilman Rubio Gonzalez said.
The next step is establishing the zoning for these types of businesses, and ultimately deciding how many businesses are approved, Gutierrez said. The zoning ordinance will have to go through an environmental review process and then to the Planing Commission before it goes to the City Council for final approval.
“Once land use regulations are adopted by the Planning Commission, cannabis businesses would be allowed by right in these designated areas after going through the cannabis business permit process,” she said. That means permits would not come before the Planning Commission as long they met all the requirements, Gutierrez said.
She outlined the cannabis permit areas based on the types of uses that could be permitted.
Manufacturing, testing and distribution
Cannabis Permit Area 1: Predominantly encompasses industrial warehousing, a mobile home park and Cal Poly Pomona. “It’s geographically isolated” from homes, she said.
Cannabis permit areas 2 and 3: Valley Boulevard to the north and zigzagging up to the 10 Freeway, Temple Avenue to the west and the 71 Freeway to the east. It mainly concentrates around Pomona Boulevard and encompasses warehousing and industrial business parks.
Cannabis permit areas 11 and 12: The eastern portion of the city, along Reservoir Street, has several trucking facilities, the 60 Freeway is to the south and the Mission Boulevard corridor to the north.
Storefront
Cannabis Permit Area 5: North of the 10 Freeway, it includes Coco Palm Restaurant, the Pomona Valley Mining Company and a park-and-ride facility.
Retail
Cannabis permit areas 4, 9 and 10: These areas are spread through out the city, between Holt Avenue and Mission Boulevard but exclude the downtown. It’s a mixture of commercial, residential and industrial uses — the latter is mainly in Permit Area 9.
Cannabis Permit Area 7: Borders the north end of Pomona, along Foothill Boulevard; it’s predominantly storefronts and auto-oriented retail as well hotels and motels.
Micro-businesses
Cannabis permit areas 6 and 8: Both area have office parks and some residential. Permit Area 8 is adjacent to the Pomona North Station and the future Gold Line stop. There are homes nearby.
After reviewing map, Commissioner Kristie Kercheval expressed some concerns about not putting permits areas “in the nice areas of town. I want to make sure we’re equitable.”
Gutierrez said the areas were selected to keep them mostly away from neighborhoods where people live, although some are adjacent to homes.
Meanwhile, Councilman Robert Torres said there was a dance studio in Permit Area 6 which should disqualify the area. He also wanted to get feedback from his constituents about allowing retail in Permit Area 7.
