Kelowna mum on pot shop proposals for now

City waiting until deadline for applications passes on Nov. 30 before releasing details

The possible locations of Kelowna’s pot shops will be revealed in early December.

City officials intend to release some details about the applications for cannabis stores once the submission deadline passes on Nov. 30.

“We’ll make public information like the proposed location and who the applicant is,” Ryan Smith, the city’s community planning manager, said Tuesday.

So far, the city has received several complete applications. But many more are expected before the deadline, with proponents waiting until the last possible moment to ensure their paperwork is as complete as possible.

Although the list of applicants, and the proposed location of the pot shops, will be made public in early December, the city’s actual review of the submissions won’t begin until January.

Proposals will be reviewed by several municipal officials and given a ranking in terms of the application’s conformance to various city goals. These include such things as a minimum setback from major parks and schools, security provisions, attractiveness of storefront design and overall business plan.

Based on the city-set restrictions, it has been estimated that about 20 pot shops — both privately owned and government controlled — might open in Kelowna. But the first store is not expected to open until well into 2019.

Those applications approved by city officials and forwarded to city councillors for their consideration will also be the subject of public hearings, where interested members of the community can comment on each proposal.

The city will announce next week which consulting firm has been hired to provide independent oversight to the application review process, Smith said.

Those hoping to win city permission to open a pot shop will have to pay fees totalling more than $10,000. The application fee charged by the City of West Kelowna, which initially plans to approve only four pot shops, is about $6,000.