SUBJECT: Public Hearing - Zoning Ordinance Amendment #24-01, Initiated by the City of Merced, Application Involves Changes to the Merced Zoning Ordinance (Title 20 of the Merced Municipal Code), Which Amends Merced Municipal Code Section 20.44.170 (Regulation of Commercial Cannabis Activities - Commercial Cannabis Business Permit Required). This Amendment Would Clarify the Process to Amend or Provide Supplemental Application Materials, Clarify the Responsibility of the Applicant Relative to Meeting the Requirements of the Selection Criteria, Clarify the Process to Correct Potential Scoring Errors, Clarify the Qualified Commercial Cannabis Business Application List Timelines and Clarify the Process if There is a Failure for a Business to Meet the Clarified Timeline and Various Other Amendments REPORT IN BRIEF The City is proposing modifications to the City’s current cannabis ordinance found under Merced Municipal Code Section 20.44.170 - Regulations of Commercial Cannabis Activities - Commercial Cannabis Business Permit Required. This ordinance amendment would clarify the process to amend or provide supplemental application materials, clarify the responsibility of the applicant relative to meeting the requirements of the Selection Criteria, clarify the process to correct potential scoring errors, clarify the Qualified Commercial Cannabis Business Application List timelines and clarify the process if there is a failure for a business to meet the clarified timeline and various other amendments. RECOMMENDATION City Council - Adopt a motion: A. Adopting a Categorical Exemption for Environmental Review #24-21; and, B. Introducing Ordinance 2571, an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Merced, California, Amending Section 20.44.170. “Regulation of Commercial Cannabis Activities - Commercial Cannabis Business Permit Required,” of Merced Municipal Code to Allow City Council Consideration of Alternative Sites for Retail Cannabis Business Applications Under Appeal, and Include a Local Ownership Element for Cannabis Retail Permits Issued after November 3, 2021.

Public Hearing Item Passed Introduced September 18, 2024

Committee: City Council/Public Finance and Economic Development Authority/Parking Authority
Introduced: September 18, 2024
On agenda: November 4, 2024
Passed: November 4, 2024

Where it was heard