Springfield City Council began discussion of proposed changes of the city’s zoning ordinance Tuesday to address medical marijuana. Missouri voters last November approved Amendment 2, which allows regulated use, including the cultivation, testing, manufacturing and sale.
Under the amendment, the first date to submit an application for a state license to operate a medical marijuana facility is August 3. Applicants will need to include a specific location in their applications, so the city of Springfield is working to identify those zoning districts where the specific use will be permitted.
Springfield’s director of planning and development, Mary Lilly Smith, told council she proposes local zoning ordinance amendments to identify the zoning districts where such uses will be permitted and under what conditions. The public will be able to comment during hearings at both the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council. Dates have not yet been set.
Here's a look at all of the proposed changes to the city's zoning ordinance:
Regulated Facility Types
• Medical Marijuana Cultivation facilities are licensed by the State to acquire, cultivate, process, store, transport and sell marijuana to a medical marijuana dispensary facility, medical marijuana testing facility, or to a medical marijuana-infused products manufacturing facility.
- Indoor facilities may be limited by the State to 30,000 square feet of flowering plant canopy space.
- Outdoor facilities may be limited by the State to 2,800 flowering plants.
- Facilities using natural or artificial light may be restricted to either 30,000 square feet or 2,800 flowering plants.
Proposed Springfield Regulations for Medical Marijuana Cultivation Facilities:
- Permitted in these districts: highway commercial and commercial services; restricted industrial, light industrial, general manufacturing, heavy manufacturing and industrial commercial.
- Must have a 1,000-feet separation from elementary and secondary schools, child day-care centers and churches.
- A conditional use permit required if facility is adjacent to, or across from, a residential zoning district.
• Medical Marijuana Testing facilities are certified by the State to acquire, test, certify and transport marijuana. No testing facility shall be owned by an entity under substantially common control, ownership or management as other medical marijuana facilities.
Proposed Springfield Regulations for Medical Marijuana Testing Facilities
- Permitted in light industrial, restricted industrial, general manufacturing, heavy manufacturing and industrial commercial.
- Must have a 1,000-feet separation from elementary and secondary schools, child day-care centers and churches.
• Medical Marijuana-infused Manufacturing facilities are licensed by the State to acquire, store, manufacture, transport and sell marijuana-infused products to a Medical Marijuana Dispensary Facility, a Medical Marijuana Testing Facility or to another Medical Marijuana-Infused Products Manufacturing facility. Marijuana-infused products are infused with marijuana or an extract thereof and are intended for use or consumption other than by smoking. This is including, but not limited to: edible products, ointments, tinctures and concentrates. This includes both the extraction process and production of edibles, ointments, etc.
No more than three marijuana-infused products’ manufacturing licenses shall be issued to any entity under substantially common control, ownership or management.
Proposed Springfield Regulations for Medical Marijuana Testing Facilities
- Permitted in general manufacturing, heavy manufacturing zoning districts due to the nature of the extraction process.
- Must have a 1,000-feet separation from elementary and secondary schools, child day-care centers and churches.
- Conditional use permit required if adjacent to, or across street from, residential zoning district.
• Medical Marijuana Post-Extraction Facilities are bakeries, confectionaries, and producers of ointments, etc. Staff would evaluate as if non-marijuana use to determine if retail sales use group* or industrial/wholesale activity applies, based on scope and volume of production, facility capacity and primary customer.
Proposed Springfield Regulations for Medical Marijuana Post-Extraction Facilities
- Permitting dependent upon classification.
- Must have a 200-foot separation from elementary and secondary schools, child daycare centers and churches.
*Requires State-issued dispensary license and subject to dispensary zoning restrictions if retails sales.
• Medical Marijuana Dispensary facilities are licensed by the State to acquire, store, sell, transport and deliver marijuana, marijuana-infused products and drug paraphernalia to administer marijuana as provided for in the section as a “qualifying patient”, a primary caregiver, another medical marijuana dispensary facility, a medical marijuana testing facility, or to a medical marijuana-infused products manufacturing facility.
No more than three medical marijuana dispensary licenses shall be issued to any entity under substantially common control, ownership or management.
Proposed Springfield Regulations Medical Marijuana Dispensary facilities
- Permitted in general retail, highway commercial, commercial services, center city and Commercial Street.
- Permitted in restricted industrial, light industrial, general manufacturing, heavy manufacturing and industrial commercial.
- NOT permitted in limited business or office districts.
- Must have a 200-foot separation from elementary and secondary schools, child daycare centers and churches.
Regulatory flexibility
- Unless allowed by the local government, no new medical marijuana facility “shall be initially sited within 1,000 feet of any then-existing elementary or secondary school, child day-care center or church.”
- No local government shall prohibit medical marijuana facilities or entities with a transportation certification “either expressly or through the enactment of ordinances or regulations that make their operation unduly burdensome.”
- Local governments “may enact ordinances or regulations not in conflict with this section, or with regulations enacted pursuant to this section, governing the time, place and manner of operation of such facilities in the locality.”
Projected timeline
- March 28 – Proposed local Zoning Ordinance changes to go to Planning & Zoning Commission.
- April 8 – First City Council Public Hearing
- April 22 – Second City Council Reading and Vote
- Aug. 3 – State begins accepting applications for licensing.
