ARCATA PLANNERS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH DISPENSARY GUIDELINES

The Arcata Planning Commission plans to finally move forward with its
draft of medical marijuana dispensary guidelines on Tuesday.

After months of deliberating on the language of the dispensary
guidelines, aimed at imposing restrictions on how dispensaries operate
in hopes of curbing Proposition 215 card abuse, the commission was
delayed by the release of state guidelines late last month.

The commission had decided that it needed more time to evaluate the
Office of the Attorney General's guidelines since several definitions
were lacking from Arcata's current draft code.

Community Development Director Larry Oetker said staff was able to
review the state guidelines and revise Arcata's draft guidelines to
bring them up to compliance. He said the commission can now move the
guidelines forward to the Arcata City Council, and begin to tackle the
next big issue -- a state mandate to create zoning for emergency
shelters and find a new location for the Arcata Service Center.

"We want to manage one major project at a time," Oetker said. The
dispensary guidelines will be an amendment to the recently approved
land use codes.

To read staff reports and the draft medical marijuana land use
standards, go to www.cityofarcata.org, click on "Agendas," and proceed
to the commission's Sept. 23 agenda.

BOX:

If You Go:

What: Arcata Planning Commission meeting

Where: Council Chambers, City Hall, 736 F St.

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.