Two locations in Kelowna have been rezoned to allow for pot shops following a public hearing on Tuesday evening.
Coun. Ryan Donn expressed his enthusiasm with the St. Paul Street project, in particular.
“I just cannot wait to see this project,” Donn said. “The amount of sidewalk and extra amenities we will get… I am very excited to see this project finished in full.”
Currently, the building at 1310 St. Paul Street is a food establishment, and before that, it was a single-family dwelling, but upon approval, the applicant wishes to make some necessary renovations.
A new paved-surface parking lot at the rear of the building and a connecting hard-surfaced walkway from the parking lot to the front of the building with new landscaping around the area have Coun. Donn excited.
READ MORE: No cap for pot shop proposals in Kelowna
The application, put forward by Kent-Macpherson in May, was one of the initial intakes of retail cannabis applications. It was evaluated by city staff in conjunction with RCMP officers.
A small store-front next to a Subway restaurant on Lawrence Avenue may turn a new leaf after it was rezoned from a low-density multiple housing zone to an urban centre commercial zone to allow for retail cannabis sales.
The NuLeaf application, put forward by Kevin Keraiff, was selected through a lottery process to move forward through the city’s standard rezoning processes.
One of the building’s owners and co-founder of OHP, which would neighbour the new pot store, offered support for the rezoning.
READ MORE: Kelowna council ready to consider pot shop rezonings
“I’m looking forward to improving the neighbourhood,” Mike Schmidt said.
Following approval of the Lawrence Avenue, city staff will send a recommendation to the British Columbia Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch in support of a non-medical cannabis retail store license for the project.
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