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Commercial Cannabis Regulatory Permitting
Ordinance 515 was adopted by the City Council on January 12, 2016, adding chapter 5.28 to the City of Greenfield municipal code establishing a medical marijuana facilities regulatory permit program. Section 5.28.290 of that ordinance requires the City Manager develop written regulations governing the implementation of the medical marijuana facility regulatory permit process.
The City's marijuana facility administrative guidelines supplement the application and operating requirements set forth in chapter 5.28. It is not the intent of the regulations to replace or simply repeat what is already required or set forth in the ordinance. The intent of the regulations is to supplement, expand upon, and further clarify the requirements of the ordinance; and provide additional guidance to City staff in reviewing applications for each of the 3 types of regulatory permits - dispensary, cultivation, and manufacturing - and making recommendations to the City Council for its approval of the issuance of each regulatory permit.
On August 9, 2016 the City revised its application process used to obtain a Medical Marijuana Facility license. The application process for obtaining a license to operate a Medical Marijuana Facility ("MMF") in Greenfield will open on August 15, 2016.
Because the DOJ cannot provide a specific date for the approval, the City will be delaying the deadline requirement for submitting the Live Scan Criminal history check. As a result, the City will be accepting applications and applicants will be notified at a later date when they can complete the Live Scan process. However, each applicant will still be subject to Phase 1 Determination of Eligibility and all other questions and information on the application will be due on September 15, 2016.
To avoid delaying the review process, the City is prepared to conduct a Phase 2 and Phase 3 evaluation and ranking of any eligible application without completion of the Live Scan process. However, no application will be presented to the City Council for consideration and final selection until an acceptable Live Scan Criminal history check has been verified and approved by the City. View additional information and compliance requirements regarding criminal background (PDF).
Second Ranking: The top applications in each category, if applicable, will be interviewed and evaluated by the Selection Committee based on an approved criterion. Prior to the scheduling of the interviews in Phase 3 each of the final applicants per category will be required to have their proposed site inspected by designated city staff to ascertain current conditions of the facility. One principal may be required to pass a medical cannabis expertise examination, demonstrating a working knowledge of state and local compliance standards as well as the Attorney General's Guidelines on Medicinal Cannabis.
The second ranking will be scored based on the following criteria:
After the completion of the application interviews in phase 3 and prior to the Selection Committees final review and evaluation, the City reserves the right to request and obtain additional information from any candidate who submitted a proposal. Upon the completion of the final review process, the Selection Committee will tabulate its final scores of the top applicants. The City Manager will present to the City Council the final ranking in which the City Council will award a predetermined number of permits for each category as determined by the City Council and pursuant to GMC Section 5.28.050.
Only those applicants on the final list will be eligible to be issued a permit from the initial permit process. Top applicants, which are approved by the City Council, will need to attend a City Council meeting in Greenfield in order to provide a public presentation before the Mayor and City Council introducing their team and providing an overview of their proposal if requested by the City Manager. For information about this process, please contact:
David McPherson, Principal
HDL Companies
909-861-4335
The City's marijuana facility administrative guidelines supplement the application and operating requirements set forth in chapter 5.28. It is not the intent of the regulations to replace or simply repeat what is already required or set forth in the ordinance. The intent of the regulations is to supplement, expand upon, and further clarify the requirements of the ordinance; and provide additional guidance to City staff in reviewing applications for each of the 3 types of regulatory permits - dispensary, cultivation, and manufacturing - and making recommendations to the City Council for its approval of the issuance of each regulatory permit.
On August 9, 2016 the City revised its application process used to obtain a Medical Marijuana Facility license. The application process for obtaining a license to operate a Medical Marijuana Facility ("MMF") in Greenfield will open on August 15, 2016.
Summary of the Process
Phase 1
Determination of Eligibility and Application: Each Principal must undergo a criminal history check demonstrating compliance with the eligibility requirements of GMC Section 5.28.060 for background checks. The City of Greenfield is currently experiencing unexpected delays in receiving the approvals from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that are required to begin processing Live Scan criminal history checks.Because the DOJ cannot provide a specific date for the approval, the City will be delaying the deadline requirement for submitting the Live Scan Criminal history check. As a result, the City will be accepting applications and applicants will be notified at a later date when they can complete the Live Scan process. However, each applicant will still be subject to Phase 1 Determination of Eligibility and all other questions and information on the application will be due on September 15, 2016.
To avoid delaying the review process, the City is prepared to conduct a Phase 2 and Phase 3 evaluation and ranking of any eligible application without completion of the Live Scan process. However, no application will be presented to the City Council for consideration and final selection until an acceptable Live Scan Criminal history check has been verified and approved by the City. View additional information and compliance requirements regarding criminal background (PDF).
Phase 2
Initial Ranking: Applications will be evaluated based on proposed location of business, business plans, neighborhood compatibility plan, and safety and security plan. The top applications for each category, if applicable, will move on to Phase 3.
Phase 3
Second Ranking: The top applications in each category, if applicable, will be interviewed and evaluated by the Selection Committee based on an approved criterion. Prior to the scheduling of the interviews in Phase 3 each of the final applicants per category will be required to have their proposed site inspected by designated city staff to ascertain current conditions of the facility. One principal may be required to pass a medical cannabis expertise examination, demonstrating a working knowledge of state and local compliance standards as well as the Attorney General's Guidelines on Medicinal Cannabis.The second ranking will be scored based on the following criteria:
- Business plan
- Community benefits
- Enhanced product safety
- Environmental benefits
- Final location
- Labor and employment
- Local enterprise
- Neighborhood compatibility plan
- Qualifications of principals
- Safety and Security Plan
Phase 4
Selection committees final evaluation and City Council's final selection will consist of the selection committee's final review and evaluation, the city staff final rankings report to City Council, and the City Council makes final selection.After the completion of the application interviews in phase 3 and prior to the Selection Committees final review and evaluation, the City reserves the right to request and obtain additional information from any candidate who submitted a proposal. Upon the completion of the final review process, the Selection Committee will tabulate its final scores of the top applicants. The City Manager will present to the City Council the final ranking in which the City Council will award a predetermined number of permits for each category as determined by the City Council and pursuant to GMC Section 5.28.050.
Only those applicants on the final list will be eligible to be issued a permit from the initial permit process. Top applicants, which are approved by the City Council, will need to attend a City Council meeting in Greenfield in order to provide a public presentation before the Mayor and City Council introducing their team and providing an overview of their proposal if requested by the City Manager. For information about this process, please contact:
David McPherson, Principal
HDL Companies
909-861-4335