Northwood: Zoning changed for marijuana dispensaries; moratorium remains

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A year-long moratorium on recreational marijuana dispensaries in the City of Northwood is in effect after city council approved zoning changes to accommodate them.
A divided council recently approved five ordinances – each by a 4-3 vote – that amend the city’s codified ordinances to allow dispensaries.
The city planning commission compiled the proposed zoning changes as recommendations for council to decide.
Voting for the ordinances were: Dean Edwards, Pat Huntermark, Jim Barton, and Michael Melnyk; voting against were Mark Stoner, Randy Kozina, and Louis Fahrbach.
But after council completed its meeting agenda, Fahrbach introduced a motion to extend a moratorium on recreational marijuana dispensaries until Dec. 1, 2025, which also passed by a 4-3 vote with councilman Barton casting a yes vote with Fahrbach, Kozina, and Stoner.
The moratorium doesn’t affect medical marijuana dispensaries.
The ordinances amend the city’s zoning code by:
-Deleting the section which lists the cultivation, processing, or retail dispensing of medical marijuana as a prohibited use. The new regulations will address both medical and recreational marijuana.
-Replacing the section ‘‘Medical Marijuana’’ with a new definition for “Marijuana Facility” to remove the prohibition on medical marijuana and provide a definition that encompasses medical and recreational marijuana cultivator, dispensary, processor, and testing facilities.
-Adding “Marijuana Facility-Dispensary to the list of conditional uses in the C-Commercial zoning district and make it a prohibited use in the Central Business District. As a conditional use, dispensaries would be required to go through a public hearing process with the planning commission to gain approval.
A public hearing was held Sept. 26 at the city’s administration building to accept comment on the proposed ordinances.
The Ohio Revised Code prohibits any cannabis facility from being within 500 feet of a school, church, library, playground, or park.
In November, 2023, a majority of Ohio voters approved Issue 2 to legalize the possession and use of marijuana by individuals aged 21 and over, and the sale of marijuana by state-licensed dispensaries.
The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control began issuing dual-use (medical/recreational) dispensary certificates in August, allowing those dispensaries to begin selling non-medical cannabis.