If you want to tell council how you feel about seven proposed cannabis stores, Monday will be your last chance to do so.
The city will hold a hearing Monday to help them decide which four proposals will receive the green light – and which three will be denied. Written submissions are also being accepted, but the deadline closes at noon on Monday.
The city accepted applications for three months this spring, and seven proposals made it through staff’s vetting process.
One application is from the BC Liquor Distribution Branch to operate a government-owned BC Cannabis Store at Highstreet Shopping Centre.
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The other six applications are all private proposals to operate stores. They are:
- Honeycomb Cannabis at Meadow Fair Plaza (31940 South Fraser Way) in the Clearbrook neighbourhood.
- Meta Cannabis Supply Co. at Clearbrook Town Square (32500 South Fraser Way) in the city centre.
- A Little Bud at West Oaks Mall (32700 South Fraser Way) in the city centre.
- Sweed Cannabis Store at Sevenoaks Shopping Centre (32900 South Fraser Way) in the city centre.
- This is Cannabis at Abbotsford Village Shopping Centre (2070 Sumas Way) at the intersection of Sumas Way and South Fraser Way.
- Muse Cannabis Store at Parallel Marketplace (1920 North Parallel Road) in East Abbotsford.
The seven locations are located at seven of 10 sites pre-zoned last year to permit cannabis sales. (One proposal didn’t make it to public input stage because it was for a location not zoned for pot distribution.)
Council has already voted to initially restrict cannabis sales to just four locations.
The public will be able to speak at Monday’s hearing, but can also submit their thoughts in writing to cityclerk@abbotsford.ca, or by mail. All submissions are public records.
Monday’s hearing won’t be a formal public hearing. The city has tasked staff with completing “a full and comprehensive evaluation of the applications” based on criteria already set out. That, along with summaries of the public’s feedback, will be presented to council before it makes a final decision.
Public hearings are being managed to abide by two-metre physical distancing and the 50-person limit on public gatherings. That means that those who speak may not be able to attend the full meeting in person. The meeting can be viewed online, however, at letstalkabbotsford.ca/council-hearing-cannabis.
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