The federal government is set to legalize marijuana for recreational use this fall and on Monday the city will start making decisions about the hundreds of applications it has received for cannabis stores.
Last April the city approved bylaw amendments to allow the retail sale of cannabis and council will now start looking at 261 active applications for retail operations in the city.
Council will consider a number of factors while reviewing the applications including the concentration of stores in any one area, comments from citizens and compatibility with the community.
The locations are governed by the Land Use Bylaw and there are a number of guidelines regarding where the stores can set up shop.
The retail outlets must be at least 150 metres from school property lines and emergency shelters and there must be at least 300 metres between cannabis stores.
The stores must be stand-alone and cannot be combined with another business, like a convenience store, and they cannot be beside a liquor store.
Operators will be required to obtain a development permit, building permit and business licence before they can open a store.
A 21-day appeal period will follow the approval of a store application and if no appeals are filed, the store will receive building permits and licencing.
Business licences for the approved cannabis stores will not go into effect until 10:00 a.m. on October 17, 2018.
For more information on applications for cannabis stores in Calgary, click HERE.
