HAMDEN — Recreational cannabis establishments will be allowed to open in town by special permit under a new set of regulations passed by the Planning & Zoning Commission
But those regulations, which take effect April 1, do not create paths forward for a cannabis business or for events like the High Bazaar, elements that were part of an earlier proposal.
Floated last summer, the initial draft would have allowed an “accelerator establishment” with up to four cannabis businesses to open in town. It also included a provision through which organizers could take out one-day cannabis event permits.
The latter provision heralded the possible return of the High Bazaar, a previously recurring cannabis “gifting” party that officials shut down last February.
“There were changes that were made to the initial write-up of regulations because we had to kind of negotiate to get it passed,” Mayor Lauren Garrett said Monday.
(At a meeting in November, the Planning & Zoning Commission rejected a cannabis zoning amendment that retained the business incubator but excluded the event permit.)
Even though High Bazaar organizer Joseph Accettullo previously lauded the idea of temporary cannabis event permits, he said he was not disappointed by the regulations the town ultimately passed.
“It’s progress. It’s definitely progress,” he said. “We legalized marijuana, you know, this is the next step forward.”
While the events no longer take place, Accettullo said, the High Bazaar still exists as a community.
“Because of the size of those events … and all the friendships that were made, the High Bazaar’s a community now,” he said. “Of course zoning regulations don’t affect that.”
Accettullo hopes cannabis events can return within the next five to 10 years “when the policy is right for it,” he said.
Jason Ortiz, executive president of Students for Sensible Drug Policies and a member of the High Bazaar community, said he feels the state “dropped the ball” because it did not create a cannabis event license.
“It’s forcing all of the smaller cities to have to come up with their own solutions to this problem,” Ortiz said. “The state is really putting our municipal officials in a really tough spot by not having a more robust state licensing program.”
Town Planner Eugene Livshits did not know whether Hamden would resurrect conversations about the one-day cannabis event permit, he said, though he does think it likely the incubator proposal will come up again.
“A lot of people did see the value in it,” he said. But “there was a feeling that more research needed to be done in that area. … I think that’s something that will probably be brought to the table later on for additional discussion.”
The goal of the incubator was to help fledgling cannabis establishments share resources and get off the ground, particularly in Disproportionately Impacted Areas, or DIAs.
DIAs are neighborhoods which the state has designated as being disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition. The Highwood section of Hamden, also called Newhall, is considered a DIA.
Incubator aside, the new regulations provide a way forward for other types of cannabis businesses, which also are subject to state licensing rules.
Entrepreneurs wishing to locate their cannabis retail or manufacturing facilities in Hamden can apply to the town for a special permit starting April 1, when a moratorium previously enacted by the town will end, Livshits said.
Under the new zoning amendment, cannabis retail establishments will be allowed rural, sub-urban, general urban and urban center zones, many of which are located near Dixwell Avenue, Route 15 and Whitney Avenue, a town zoning map shows.
Applicants also can seek to open cannabis production, cultivation, packaging and manufacturing facilities in the town’s manufacturing zones.
Hamden’s designated manufacturing zones can be found in the southeastern edge of town as well as near Sherman Avenue and Hamden Park Drive.
All cannabis establishments must be located at least 1,500 feet from each other, and they cannot be within 500 feet of any place of worship, library, school or public playground, according to the regulations.
When considering whether to grant a permit, the Planning & Zoning Commission must consider the health and safety of the public, nearby traffic and “provisions for odor control, security, noise and lighting,” the regulations say.
The commission unanimously passed the amendment on March 15, meeting minutes available on the town website show.
There have been individuals who have expressed interest in bringing cannabis businesses to Hamden, according to Livshits, who said he could not disclose details.
“The real interesting part of all this is going to be when an actual application comes in,” he said. “It gives you a better sense of how this approach is going to work or not.”
meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
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