A Prince George cannabis retailer is one step closer to opening a new location after city council held a public hearing for a rezoning application and voiced support for it to receive a license at its Wednesday, April 23 meeting.
Grasshopper already has two locations, one downtown on George Street and another in the Hart at Birchwood Mall.
Now the retailer is looking to rezone Unit 498 at 450 Ospika Blvd. from C4: Local Commercial to C4c: Local Commercial to allow for another cannabis store to open there. That’s the same mini-mall that’s home to a 7-Eleven store and Liquor on 5th.
According to a report by city staff on the rezoning, the application is in line with the Neighbourhood Corridor designation for the area under the Official Community Plan.
Staff also said that the proposed use is in line with the existing commercial site and that neither the Prince George RCMP nor the bylaw services department expressed any concerns with the project.
Though there are other cannabis retailers 600 metres away at Spruceland Shopping Centre and one kilometre away at the intersection of First Avenue and Tabor Drive, staff said they believe the distance is sufficient to prevent negative impacts.
The applicant is said to have agreed to install bicycle parking to meet the city’s requirements.
While city administration recommends approval of the rezoning, it is also recommending that final reading of the bylaw be withheld until the applicants submit a security worth 120 per cent of the cost of promised landscaping improvements and the bike rack.
A letter from the business addressed to council said Grasshopper currently employs 17 people and the new location would add eight more jobs.
It said planned renovations for the space are 90 per cent finished.
“For this application we encourage you to set aside any preconceived notions of cannabis you may have and instead focus on the land use for this location as it is a legal business and our application is strictly on the land use for the site,” the letter said.
Accompanying the letter from the business are 188 signed form letters expressing support for the project.
Another report on the cannabis license application said that the applicant is looking to operate the new location between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week. That’s consistent with the guidelines set out by the city’s Liquor and Cannabis Licensing Policy.
Attached to that report is a letter from a representative of BC’s Liquor and Cannabis Relation Branch confirming that the applicants are eligible to hold a cannabis retail license but need a positive recommendation from a local government or Indigenous nation to proceed with the rest of the approval process.
During the public hearing, no members of the public came to the podium to comment on the application and council had no questions from Grasshopper representatives in attendance.
Coun. Brian Skakun said he supported the application, noting that he hasn’t heard any complaints about the George Street location since it opened several years ago and the company was looking to invest in the community.
Both third reading of the rezoning bylaw and support for the cannabis license passed unanimously after the close of the public hearing.
