BAR HARBOR — Bar Harbor residents will get the possibility to precise their views on marijuana later this month. A residents’ petition — full with drafted rules — was offered to the City Council and would be the topic of a listening to Jan. 18.
With little dialogue from council members, petitioner Derrick Sekulich, a Bar Harbor resident who recognized himself as a marijuana grower, and downtown enterprise proprietor Sheryl DeWalt outlined the offered doc titled Grownup Use Marijuana Retailer Licensing, which, in keeping with DeWalt, was ready by an lawyer at her expense.
The ordinance, if adopted, would turn out to be a part of the city’s code and permit two shops to function within the zones the place retail is already allowed. It additionally lays out licensing and software necessities and requirements and proposes appropriate adjustments to the land use ordinance.
This was not the primary time DeWalt has spoken with the council relating to her need to open an grownup use marijuana store on the town. In October 2020, DeWalt despatched a letter to the city planner asking in regards to the steps essential to realize approval for a retail store on the town. The correspondence was included within the following council packet and mentioned. The council didn’t enable DeWalt to talk, and didn’t particularly deal with her request, however as an alternative, after a roughly half-hour dialogue, by a vote of 6-1 (Gary Friedmann), instructed the city supervisor to create a bundle of supplies that would come with any previous votes and council discussions relating to this topic, in addition to a timeline for approval and implementation of retail marijuana companies on the town, earlier than contemplating any such functions.
DeWalt, proprietor of Tree of Life Day Spa, Acadia Faculty of Therapeutic massage and Salon NaturELLES, referenced that beforehand unanswered request and mentioned it prompted her to go the petition route. “I needed you’d have labored with me at first … however nobody needed to speak to me, and my solely alternative was to undergo the citizen initiative course of in order that it might go to the voters,” mentioned DeWalt when requested whether or not adjustments might be made to the petition.
“I don’t have any confidence that it’s going to really turn out to be vital sufficient if I pull my petition,” she mentioned.
Procedurally, after a public listening to there are two choices for subsequent steps. The council might resolve to undertake the ordinance as written or ship it to voters, which might place it on the June city assembly warrant.
As soon as adopted — both by the council or voters — it will turn out to be like different ordinances on the town and might be amended by the council.
