Concerns related to children and teen safety, increased crime and impaired driving were raised by Delta residents who wrote or spoke about their opposition to the proposed cannabis retail store at Scottsdale Centre during the Feb. 15 public hearing.
This application, in addition to the application for a cannabis processing facility application on Annacis Island, were unanimously passed through council following the hearing.
For the proposed retail store in North Delta, two residents spoke at the public hearing – one in support and one in opposition. There were also two letters of support and 25 in opposition sent to the city prior to the hearing.
The supporter who spoke cited increased traffic to the Scottsdale Centre, which would benefit all the businesses within the mall, including their own business that has been there for more than 38 years.
The resident who spoke in opposition said that the store would be too close to nearby schools and that edibles in the form of candies and cookies, which would be sold in the store, would appeal to children and teens.
However, as previously addressed in a Delta staff report detailing the application from the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, the store meets or exceeds other municipalities’ minimum-distance-away requirements, and the Delta School District has already said the location is a “fairly large distance” away from their nearest school.
Additionally, children and teens will not be permitted to enter the store to purchase edibles, and the store can only be accessed through the inside of the mall, where they perform ID checks at the store entrance, highlighted Ryan McKeown, who offered a presentation during the hearing from the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch.
And in relation to increased crime, Delta Police reviewed and accepted the applicant’s security plan and had no concerns regarding the dispensary, reads a Delta staff report.
For the proposed processing facility, no one spoke in person at the hearing regarding the application, but three letters of opposition were received from neighbouring businesses.
Concerns regarding increased crime and odour, as well as feelings of a processing facility being a gateway to growing or production, were raised.
“We encourage our applicants to use the best available technology to mitigate odors. This applicant has provided an air quality management plan ... It’s been reviewed by Delta’s Climate Action and Environment staff, and Metro Vancouver has also received the plan and they have advised that, based on the nature of the business and the plan that was provided, than an air quality permit is not required in this instance. However, they reserve the right to require a permit should they find that there was any emissions from the facility,” said Marcy Sangret, Delta’s director of community planning and development.
Staff also clarified that, technically, the proposed rezoning does allow for cannabis production, though that’s not what the applicant will be doing.
“As the applicant has noted, they have a license from the federal government that only permits them to do processing and not production, and the city is notified of any change in licenses. So, there is a requirement that the local government be advised if there is a change of use,” explained Sangret.
The staff report detailing the application for the processing facility acknowledges that the Delta Police Department and Delta Fire had indicated no concerns about the proposed facility.
