Shelton sets hearing on proposed ban of cannabis sales
SHELTON — Residents can voice their opinion on the sale of cannabis in the city during a public hearing this week.
The hearing, hosted by the Board of Aldermen, will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall and will be livestreamed on the city website.
People can speak on an ordinance that would prohibit all types of cannabis establishments and retail sales of cannabis or cannabis-related products.
Mayor Mark Lauretti presented the proposed ordinance to the aldermen earlier this month.
This comes after the Planning and Zoning Commission failed to pass a resolution prohibiting cannabis sale and establishments in the city.
The commission, at a meeting last month, deadlocked, 3-3, on a motion to prohibit such establishments in Shelton.
The deadlock meant the motion failed, allowing applications to be filed starting April 1.
Lauretti has stated he was “caught by surprise” by the commission’s deadlock and further stressed this type of business is not needed in Shelton.
The ordinance debate comes as Rodeo Cannabis, which bills itself as the largest cannabis farm in New England, makes its push to make Shelton home to its first retail location.
Art Linares, a former state senator and cofounder and CEO of the Connecticut-based company, filed an application to open a hybrid medical and recreational dispensary in Crown Point Center off Bridgeport Avenue. Linares is also married to Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons.
The application was filed only hours after the commission’s moratorium on retail cannabis sales came to end on March 31.
The commission refused to even hear the application for a certificate of zoning compliance, which led the company to file an application to amend the Planned Development District, in which the shopping center sits, to allow cannabis sales.
Linares has stated there is no specific timeframe for opening.
The company’s website states the Morris-based grower is “a wholesale supplier of Fresh Frozen flower, live rosin vapes gummies, and offers remediation services.”
The company plans to occupy 2,000 square feet of space, which includes a drive thru. The interior design shows a waiting area at the entrance, in which customers would have their identification checked.
There will be a large sales floor area. In the rear will be the vault, which is required by state law, and a pick-andpack room. The plans state there will be between 10 and 20 employees.