Mayor and residents at odds over Ansonia pot moratorium

ANSONIA — Second Ward Alderman Bill Phipps said he’s heard stories of well-dressed people with nice cars over the border in Massachusetts, willing to wait in line to buy recreational marijuana at dispensaries.

Phipps wants that for Ansonia as well.

“If we can get a piece of that action without harm, I’d say go for it,” Phipps said.

Phipps was one of several speakers at a public hearing Monday before the Planning and Zoning Commission, which is considering whether to implement a temporary moratorium on the sale of recreational marijuana in Ansonia.

But many residents at the meeting were against the moratorium and raised concerns that if the city does not accept applications for opening a dispensary it will risk losing out on much-needed economic growth.

The moratorium, which Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley said was drafted at the request of the Ansonia Police Department, could be decided on next week.

It means that the city would not accept or process any applications to open a business that sells recreational marijuana. If approved, it will be in effect for nine months from the date it was passed.

The moratorium would give the city time to figure out if a dispensary is beneficial to residents and, if so, to draft sale regulations.

The city’s reluctance to allow applications for recreational marijuana sales is in stark contrast to the administration’s pro business initiatives.

Ansonia has welcomed new businesses over the years — most recently a Mexican restaurant and a deli — and the planned redevelopment of Ansonia Copper and Brass has been a point of pride for Mayor David Cassetti.

Yet Cassetti said after the meeting that he is against recreational marijuana sales.

“I just don’t want to see the city turn into a place where they sell marijuana, where people will come. It’s like a methadone clinic. But we do have it up at Wakelee Avenue. Because you get undesirable people,” Cassetti said.

Cassetti also said while he has heard sales will be highly regulated, he isn’t convinced that any recreational cannabis sales would be good for the city.

While he also acknowledged that marijuana isn’t a harmful drug, he said a moratorium would give the city time to figure out if it is a good idea to allow for a dispensary.

But John Feddern, a resident and a Democratic alderman candidate for the 1st Ward, said that such a ban would make the city miss out on opportunities to attract business to the city.

“The city would be thumbing its nose at a steady tax revenue stream. At 3 percent of all sales, we’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars to the city to start, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars as we go on during the legalization process,” Feddern said.

Other residents at the meeting pointed out that if Ansonia bans applications, it would simply mean that other cities, such as Shelton, would get the opportunity instead.

The state announced on Aug. 5 that business applications for dispensaries would be administered through lotteries due to the expected onslaught of applications.

Half of all licenses would be reserved for businesses located in economically distressed areas of the state.

State Rep. Kara Rochelle, who was at the meeting, said a moratorium could make the city forgo financial incentives that would benefit municipalities like Ansonia.

“There’s going to be special consideration for towns like Ansonia, like Derby... not only are they going to be prioritizing 50 percent of all applications — meaning that we’re trying to as a state funnel this economic development towards communities like ours, specifically to help these communities to thrive — but also the application fees will be less for residents of these census tracts,” Rochelle said.