The long-kicked around zoning proposal for medical marijuana operations is finally open to public debate.
The new bylaw started to bud last summer when city council passed the first two readings on legislation that would limit federally licenced grow ops to certain parts of the city.
A public hearing on those changes is scheduled for the March 16 council meeting at city hall.
The zoning changes would create a new sub-category for which those wishing to start a medical marijuana grow operation could apply. The sub-category would only be permitted on properties already zoned as greenbelt, agriculture and forestry, light industrial, general industrial and business industrial - namely the BCR and Danson Industrial Park and Boundary Road.
Minimum parcel sizes (15 hectares in the greenbelt and agriculture and forestry zones) and setbacks (one kilometre from neighbouring residential and correctional service properties) are also included in the proposed legislation.
The rezoning application would also trigger a public hearing.
As part of the July 30, 2014 decision to move forward on the changes was a requirement to forward the proposal to the Agricultural Land Commission and await its comment before going on to the public hearing stage.
Setting out specific zoning limitations is the only real input a municipality can have on these facilities that get licenced by Health Canada. Cities are notified when someone expresses an interest in an application, but a local government doesn't get a say in approving them.
Public hearings begin at 7 p.m. in city council chambers.
An earlier version of this story had the incorrect date.
