Medical marijuana dispensary narrowly beats county ban – paxtonmedia.com
Barring any obstacles. Ayr Wellness will become Citrus County’s ninth licensed dispensary operating in the county with three located in the unincorporated areas. The rest are within the city limits of Inverness and Crystal River.
Kinnard
Just days after Citrus County commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance banning new medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas, another proposed facility has emerged — one that appears to have beaten the deadline.
Barring any obstacles. Ayr Wellness will become Citrus County’s ninth licensed dispensary operating in the county with three located in the unincorporated areas. The rest are within the city limits of Inverness and Crystal River.
Miami-based Ayr Wellness has applied for an interior remodel permit in a vacant building to open a medical marijuana treatment center at 3177 State Road 44 in Inverness. The location sits within walking distance of an existing dispensary, The Flowery, and fronts a major commercial corridor.
The permit application was submitted on Dec. 4, only five days before the County Commission adopted new land development code language on Dec. 9.
Because the application was filed prior to adoption of the ordinance, the proposed dispensary qualifies as a permitted use under the county’s previous zoning regulations for the general commercial district, according to Land Development Division Director Joanna Coutu.
Coutu said she was not aware of the application when the ordinance was discussed by commissioners on Dec. 9 and therefore did not mention it during the public hearing.
“As long as that building permit application remains active it can continue to be permitted on the site — without public hearing – but any new applications could not be approved in unincorporated Citrus County,” Coutu said.—
Any similar applications submitted after Dec. 9 would be prohibited.
Kinnard
Commissioner Jeff Kinnard, who pushed for the ordinance, said the timing of the application raises little doubt in his mind.
“I don’t think it’s coincidental at all,” Kinnard said. “They likely saw the writing on the wall and decided to get their permit application in before we were able to change our code. They did and there’s certainly nothing we can do about it.”
Because the site is already commercially zoned, the proposal does not require additional zoning approvals.
“I’m disappointed that we have another one popping up on our Main Street,” Kinnard said. “But they played by the rules. They applied under the old set of rules so the county doesn’t have a role to play there.
“I still don’t think it’s a good look for our county,” he added.
County Commission Chairwoman Diana Finegan said the proposed facility’s proximity just 150 feet from The Flowery — along with its location on State Road 44 in a prime commercial area — reinforces the board’s decision.
“It solidifies my vote,” Finegan said.
However, if the Ayr Wellness application moves forward as expected, “they can never expand or move elsewhere,” she said.
If approved and barring any unforeseen obstacles, Ayr Wellness would become Citrus County’s ninth licensed medical marijuana dispensary, with three located in unincorporated areas. The remaining locations operate within the city limits of Inverness and Crystal River.
County commissioners at their last meeting cited concerns about community character, aesthetics and the growing visibility of cannabis businesses at major intersections and commercial corridors. They also expressed concern that additional locations could send mixed messages to youth.
As of late 2024, Ayr Wellness operated in Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois and Connecticut, with plans to expand into Virginia.
Michael D. Bates is a staff writer with the Citrus County Chronicle and can be reached at mbates@chronicleonline.com
Originally published on bloxstj.paxtonmedia.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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