During the Nov. 1 Township Council meeting, the members of the governing body voted to introduce an ordinance establishing guidelines for the cannabis businesses. The ordinance is scheduled to go before the board for a public hearing and final vote on Nov. 15.
The ordinance, in part, establishes the CAN-R1C Cannabis Route 1 Corridor Overlay Zone, which allows for the retail sale and delivery of cannabis products on Route 1 in a commercial shopping center or mixed-use area that has more than 25,000 square feet of retail/commercial floor space and that provides direct access from Route 1.
Michael Hritz, director of community development, said the focus was how to permit retail sales with minimal impact, such as by having cars go on and off Route 1 without driving on municipal roads, when the ordinance was initially addressed during the Oct. 12 council meeting.
The ordinance also establishes the CAN-JA Cannabis Jersey Avenue Overlay Zone, which permits all classes aside from retail in the industrial sections of the Jersey Avenue corridor in warehouses that are more than 35,000 square feet in space, with no more than 5% of the area of the building located within 250 feet of a residential zone or unless separated by the Northeast Corridor rail line.
Both overlay zones prohibit the location of any such establishments within 500 feet of a school, a house of worship, a park or a playground.