Medical marijuana businesses interested in setting up shop in Hilltown will have to do so within select zoning districts.
That’s the upshot of an ordinance township supervisors voted unanimously to approve at their Monday evening meeting.
Voted on following a public hearing in which no residents commented, the ordinance restricts medical cannabis dispensaries to sections of Hilltown zoned “PC-1” – planned commercial use.
Meanwhile, marijuana growing/processing facilities are allowed to operate in Hilltown’s light industrial and heavy industrial zones.
“The ordinance is consistent with the Pennsylvania act that authorizes these types of facilities,” said township Solicitor Stephen Harris, who authored the local rules.
Both the PC-1 commercial zone and the industrial sections lie on the western side of Hilltown, primarily in the Route 309 corridor, an area that includes Bethlehem Pike, according to a township zoning map.
Under the ordinance, medical marijuana dispensaries and growing/processing facilities are prohibited from operating within 1,000 feet of the property line of schools and daycare centers.
The facilities are also subject to quarterly inspections by Hilltown’s zoning officer, and must operate in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, including Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act.
Additionally, the ordinance states that growing\processing facilities are not permitted as agricultural uses in any zoning district within the township.
Earlier this year, there were a couple preliminary inquiries from entities with a possible interest in locating medical marijuana operations in Hilltown. However, no organizations have moved forward with plans to establish a cannabis-related enterprise in the township, local officials have said.
Pennsylvania rules prohibit municipalities from banning medical marijuana facilities because they’re permitted businesses under state law. Even so, municipalities can use local zoning to establish where such businesses can locate.
Gov. Tom Wolf signed Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act into law in April last year.
Under the law, people suffering from a range of qualified medical conditions – from cancer and HIV/AIDS, to chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin – will be able to obtain a prescription for medical cannabis through a physician. Recreational marijuana remains illegal under state law.
credit:buckscountyherald.com
