Richmond city council voted in favour of a new medical cannabis facility Wednesday.
The application for the facility — located at 23000 Fraserwood Way near Hamilton Road — first came to council in January, when it was opposed by Coun. Chak Au, who, at the time, cited the city’s rule on having only one medical cannabis facility.
Au also opposed the application at its second and third readings in February, and, most recently, at the final vote Wednesday.
While council has previously stated it doesn’t see the need for cannabis facilities in Richmond, said city spokesperson Clay Adams, it has also said that each application should be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
According to Adams, the rezoning application is consistent with the city’s land-use approach outlined in the Official Community Plan (OCP).
“The proposal is not on (the Agricultural Land Reserve) and is in an OCP designated ‘mixed employment’ location, meaning it is an industrial area and not in the immediate proximity of residential properties,” said Adams.
Getting zoning approval from the city is just one step in the process. The facility will still need to meet Health Canada regulations before it can begin operations.
The size of the facility will be limited to 1,800 square metres.
In September 2016, council gave a third reading to a medical cannabis facility at 5960 No. 6 Rd. However, while the city doesn’t know the status of that facility’s application, it’s understood they are still working through the Health Canada licensing process, said Adams.
Council will vote on the bylaw amendment for 23000 Fraserwood Way at a special council meeting Wednesday afternoon.
