Dozens of applications filed for pot shops in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Forty-one applications have been made to the City of Kelowna in the first round of submissions for cannabis retail outlets.
While cannabis was legalized in Canada on Oct. 17, there are no outlets licenced to sell the product so far in the Okanagan.
The City of Kelowna, anticipating possibly hundreds of applications, decided to set today, Nov. 30, as the deadline for people to apply in the first round of review. Others can always apply later.
The first step in the city's plan is to send all the applications to a committee to check them for completeness. Applicants will have two weeks to make corrections.
After that, the committee will evaluates things like distances from parks and schools, meeting zoning rules, and security provisions.
Those that score highest on the matrix, which was established in September, will get their submissions processed first.
Once the order of processing is sorted out, the applicants will have to go through rezoning hearings, no matter where they’re located. That could take a few more months.
Any applicants who fail to qualify for rezoning will forfeit their $1,000 application fee. Those who proceed to rezoning will be charged an additional $9,459 to cover the cost of the process.
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