Hopewell Borough Council has killed an ordinance that would have allowed cannabis retailers and delivery service operations in the borough.
Council members voted to kill the ordinance that would have allowed cannabis retailers and delivery service operations in the service zone and only cannabis retailers in the B-R zone (business zone), during a public hearing at the governing body’s May 5 meeting.
Council President Sky Morehouse, Councilman Ryan Kennedy, Councilwoman Debra Stuhler, Councilman Chris Fossel, and Councilwoman Samara McAuliffe voted “yes” on the measure.
“I’m unchanged in my opinion. There has been a lot of discussion before this and the ordinance is well done,” Fossel said. “I’m sure it’s good. My concern is that it brings it a little bit closer to our youth and I’m concerned about that.”
Kennedy said he shared concerns about locations in his reasoning for voting “no.”
“I agree with Sky [Morehouse] that this is something our community largely embraces. I would be completely in favor of it if we were to have a process to choose the location or the business,” he said. “I am not ready to say any place in the B-R zone is ready for a dispensary without some other process. I’m in favor of exploring this in the two zones we discussed and I’m not ready with this language.”