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7A <br /> Page 2 <br /> About 100 cities have chosen to ban collectives. The City of Anaheim chose to ban <br /> them and this ban has been chailenged in court. A decision from the appeilate court is <br /> currentiy pending. <br /> Many cities have elected to enact a moratorium on medical marijuana-oriented <br /> businesses, allowing them to defer a decision while studying the potential impacts of <br /> permitting medical marijuana collectives or allowing them to operate. The City of <br /> Claremont's moratorium was recently upheld in court. <br /> Staff has not received any applications to date, but has responded to serious inquiries <br /> from four prospective applicants regarding the City's requirements for establishing <br /> medical marijuana collectives/cooperatives. Staff has also received numerous other <br /> requests for information and assistance about establishing these uses. Locations <br /> proposed by prospective applicants range from the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and <br /> EI Camino Real, the intersection of Whipple Avenue and EI Camino Real, the 500-block <br /> of Woodside Road and multiple sites on Veterans Boulevard. Some of these locations <br /> are in close proximity to schools, child care centers, and neighborhoods. <br /> Medical marijuana-oriented businesses are not expressly regulated within the Redwood <br /> City Municipal Code or Zoning 4rdinance; however, this type of land use might be <br /> considered similar to a pharmacy, medical office, or clinics. Under the City's current <br /> Zoning Ordinance, such a business could potentially operate in a variety of zoning <br /> districts, including near schools or day care facilities by obtaining a Use Permit. <br /> However, appropriate evaluation of such a permit is cause for concern because the City <br /> has no adopted ordinances, policy or experience with the use. <br /> In addition to the potential problems associated with the distribution of marijuana near <br /> schools and day care facilities, the lack of framework for medical marijuana-related <br /> businesses to operate in Redwood City poses a potential threat to the health and safety <br /> of the public. Nearby cities have documented that the establishment of inedical <br /> marijuana-related businesses can cause adverse effects such as increased crime. Law <br /> enforcement authorities in cities where such businesses exist report increases in illegal <br /> drug activity and sales, robberies of patrons, loitering, and other criminal activity in the <br /> vicinity of the facility. The Redwood City Police Chief, who supports the moratorium, <br /> has provided a memo related to law enforcement issues and sUpporting documents <br /> associated with respect to medical marijuana-related businesses (Attachment 2). <br /> Because of the high number of inquiries recently received by the City's Planning, <br /> Housing and Economic Development Department by prospective applicants desiring to <br /> operate medical marijuana-related businesses, it is appropriate to adopt a moratorium <br /> to allow staff to do the research necessary to draft appropriate regulations. Research <br /> will inciude reviewing best practices from other cities to address questions such as: <br /> 1. Should medical marijuana collectives be restricted to certain zones? <br /> 2. Should a medical marijuana collective be a permitted use, prohibited use or <br /> conditional use (considered by the Zoning Administrator}? <br /> 3. Should medical marijuana collectives have minimum distances separating them from <br /> other medical marijuana-related businesses or sensitive uses such as schools, <br /> residential districts and/or churches? <br /> 2 <br />