NORTH BRUNSWICK – Officials in North Brunswick are considering the necessary steps to allow a medical marijuana cultivation property in the township.
Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack said that on the scale of the grading process for municipalities to be granted the option of housing such a facility, officials can either send letters to the state or pass a formal resolution.
North Brunswick officials are leaning toward a resolution to give the municipality greater consideration, as mentioned during the Aug. 27 Township Council workshop meeting.
However, council members stressed the act of passing a resolution does not guarantee North Brunswick will be selected, nor would it mean immediate granting of an approval for such a facility.
According to Michael Hritz, director of the Department of Community Development, the resolution would state that the township would accept an application, but it does not promise any approval. The applicant would have to go before the Planning Board, or the Zoning Board of Adjustment should a variance be needed.
“We would establish our own permitted uses,” said Hritz, to which Councilman Ralph Andrews cited the transit village on Route 1, which required the adoption of a special ordinance since none had existed prior.
The state is planning to authorize six new licenses statewide, in addition to the six that already exist. One of those six approved new companies would then come before North Brunswick planners to seek approval.
“Assuming that North Brunswick or that the applicants were awarded one of the licenses, then they would still have to come back before the municipality for an approval, and we would, at that point, be putting together the ordinances for where we want it, what we want it limited to, how big of a site it should be, that it should not be within 500 feet of a church or 500 feet of a school; all of the typical land use types of restrictions, including uses and site location,” Township Attorney Ronald Gordon said.
Andrews cautioned that the possible denial of an application by the planning or zoning board could only be made on a legal basis.
“It can’t be an arbitrary denial, like ‘we don’t like this,’ ” he said.
Currently, the mayor and council wish to have cultivation and manufacturing abilities, with a dispensary located elsewhere. Discussions on this topic are set to continue.
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@newspapermediagroup.com.
