Steamboat Springs – The Oak Creek Town Board on Thursday will consider an ordinance that would place restrictions on how residents grow marijuana.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. and includes a jam-packed agenda.
“It will be a full room for sure,” Oak Creek town administrator and clerk Mary Alice Page-Allen said.
The town board has held numerous work sessions over the past 18 months to hash out the marijuana ordinance, which would add a chapter to the town’s land use regulations. It would give authority to police to investigate violations and search properties if police get permission from the property owner or obtain a search warrant.
Residents could be fined if they violate the rules.
The ordinance would limit the number of plants a person can grow in residential parts of town to six. That is the number outlined in Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana in Colorado.
If multiple adults live at a property, the ordinance would limit the number of plants that can be grown at a single property to 12.
The ordinance outlines that marijuana grows can not take up more than 150 square feet of space in a home and cannot exceed 100 square feet in an accessory building, such as a shed or greenhouse. Marijuana grows would need to be secured with a locked door, and marijuana could not be grown in an area that is located outside of exterior walls.
Among the other regulations, residents would not be allowed to use compressed, flammable gas to make marijuana concentrates.
If passed, the town would have the power to take action if a marijuana grow creates a nuisance, such as a smell. The ordinance defines that a person with a normal sense of smell should not be able to smell marijuana from a neighboring property.
Two other items on the agenda are marijuana related.
The town will consider allowing marijuana and hemp manufacturing operations at 222 Arthur Ave., which was formerly occupied by Lombardi’s auto repair.
“I think we’re going to see more and more hemp,” Alice-Page said. “Hopefully, it offers up some more diversity.”
The town board will also consider whether to raise fees that marijuana businesses pay to the town.
Alice-Page said she has discussed the new fees with marijuana business owners, and the fees are more in line with costs the town incurs to regulate the industry.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Oak Creek To Consider Marijuana Ordinance
Author: Matt Stensland
Contact: 970-879-1502
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Website: Steamboat Today
