Township to advertise ordinance concerning medical marijuana
UPPER GWYNEDD » The next step has now been taken toward setting out new rules for medical marijuana facilities in the township.
The township commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to advertise a new ordinance limiting the areas where medical marijuana facilities would be permitted in the township.
“What this does is puts the growing and processing in the industrial zoning district, and then puts the dispensing in the commercial zoned district,” said Commissioner Jim Santi.
Pennsylvania’s legislature has developed a permitting process over the past year that would allow medical marijuana facilities to be operated under a strict set of state guidelines, with permits issued for districts roughly corresponding to counties.
“All of the growing, processing, and dispensing (uses) are highly controlled by the state at this time,” said Santi.
“They place them in different locations, and the last thing Upper Gwynedd wants to do is not
have locations where they should be placed, and then be forced, possibly, to put it into a residential area, or who knows?” he said.
Over the past several months, Upper Gwynedd’s staff and board have discussed the draft they voted Monday night to advance, which would allow growers to be located in the industrial district along Wissahickon Avenue. Dispensaries would only be permitted within the township’s commercial zoning, which covers several parcels along Sumneytown Pike near Valley Forge Road, Broad Street and Church Road, and parts of Broad Street
south of Whites Road and at the corner of Valley Forge and Allentown roads.
Following the unanimous vote Monday night, the proposed ordinance will be publicly advertised, and could be formally approved at an upcoming board meeting. A second new ordinance was also unanimously approved for advertisement, that one adopting new definitions of “family” and “dwelling unit” to comply with recent court cases.
“There has been some case law that has sort of antiquated what we had on our books, so we are updating our ordinance to comply with the most recent of these cases,” said Santi.
During their action meeting Monday night, the board formally announced the annual Township Carnival
will be held from Sept. 7-10, with live entertainment each night and firework shows scheduled for Sept. 8 and 9, weather permitting.
Several other items were also approved by the commissioners Monday night, including appointments of four township residents to the Upper Gwynedd Community Association, a nonprofit meant to allow the township to accept donations from local residents or businesses. Commissioners Ken Kroberger and Clare Edelmayer voted, along with the rest of the board, to appoint themselves along with residents Gil Silverman and Mike Zumpino to the board of the new nonprofit.
The board also approved a waiver request from Merck to skip the land development plan process for Merck to build an enclosure around an electrical substation on company grounds. The substation is roughly 750 feet from Broad Street
and is currently unenclosed, Santi said, and Merck plans to create a single story enclosure of roughly 3,000 square feet, which will require a building permit and inspections, but not a formal land development approval
“The only request is the waiver of land development, and we have done this before in this type of instance,” Santi said.
Also approved were a change order and a payment for work done on a storm sewer project near Gwynedd Manor Road, a payment for equipment rental for work near the Zacharias Creek, and a payment for recently finished pickleball courts at the township municipal complex.
The Upper Gwynedd commissioners meet next at 7 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the township administration building, 1 Parkside Place. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www.UpperGwynedd.org.