Pot shop applicants seem to be in no rush

After 2 weeks, Kelowna hasn’t received a single application

Did would-be pot shop owners in Kelowna just sort of forget about doing the necessary paperwork?

Two weeks after the city’s application window for marijuana retailing applications opened — and just days before the drug becomes legal — not a single pot shop proposal has been received at City Hall.

But city officials, who once predicted the number of pot shop applications might be so great as to “cripple” the planning department, say they aren’t surprised there hasn’t so far been a rush to submit proposals.

“Based on the discussions we’re having, we expect there’ll be upwards of 20 parties making applications shortly,” community planning manager Ryan Smith said Monday.

Pot shop licences won’t be awarded on a first-come, firstserve basis, so there is no particular advantage to being among the earliest to submit the applications, Smith notes.

Smith suspects those interested in opening a pot shop in Kelowna are simply taking the time to ensure their application is thorough and conforms to as many city-set guidelines as possible.

“We prefer it if people take their time to get their application together and make it as complete as possible,” Smith said. “That’ll make our job easier down the road.”

The application window remains open until the end of November. A city team won’t even start reviewing the applications until January, giving each an overall score that will determine the order in which they are advanced to council for consideration. Applicants will have to pay fees totalling more than $10,000.

Applications will be judged on such things as how far the proposed pot shop is removed from major city parks and middle and high schools, what kind of security arrangements are proposed, store design and business plan. Pot shops must also be at least 500 metres apart.

Based on the city-set restrictions, it has been estimated that about 20 pot shops — both privately owned and government controlled — might be established in Kelowna. But the first store is not expected to open until well into next year.