Mesa may make zoning ordinance changes for marijuana dispensaries in the city

Maritza Dominguez, Arizona Republic
·2 min read
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Dozens of customers line up outside of Mint Dispensary in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan. 22, 2021, an hour after Arizona health regulators approved the sale of recreational marijuana.
Dozens of customers line up outside of Mint Dispensary in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan. 22, 2021, an hour after Arizona health regulators approved the sale of recreational marijuana.

Mesa is considering changing its zoning codes dictating where existing marijuana facilities can relocate. A vote by the City Council is set for Aug. 28.

The city wants existing marijuana facilities to relocate within a “large industrial development” area, and to make it easier will allow them to be within 1,000 feet of another pot facility, as long as they are separated by a highway or six-lane arterial roadway.

Currently, facilities are required to be at least 1 mile apart. The city has always required dispensaries to locate within light and general industrially zoned areas, but with this change it will tighten the restrictions of where cannabis businesses can relocate in the city.

Staff define a “large industrial development” as:

  • A single parcel of land that is at least 80 acres in size, or,

  • The combination of adjoining parcels unseparated by a right-of-way that is collectively at least 80 acres.

Few areas in the city would qualify, according to a map created by the city. They include:

  • The Falcon Field Airport area

  • The Broadway Road Corridor

  • The Elliot Tech Corridor

  • The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport area

  • A section of the Riverview area

“Had the city known what it knows now about the siting of marijuana facilities when it first implemented this section of the zoning ordinance, it would have included these provisions at that time,” said Kevin Christopher, city spokesperson, in an email.

New facilities that want to locate in Mesa would still be subjected to the 1-mile distance requirement.

The city’s goal is to encourage the business to relocate and to have less impact on residential and commercial areas. However, the city has not received complaints from residents that the existing facilities are too close to residential areas, Christopher said.

The 12 existing facilities that would qualify for the new zoning ordinance exception are not required to move, Christopher said. The ordinance also wouldn’t allow two dispensaries that sit on county islands to take advantage of the change. The city is also not offering any other types of incentives such as waivers at this time, Christopher said.

The zoning ordinance was initiated by the city to incentivize development and redevelopment of large industrial areas, according to Christopher.

What kind of marijuana facilities are allowed in Mesa?

After voters statewide in 2020 passed Proposition 207, which legalized recreational marijuana in Arizona, the council passed zoning ordinances only allowing medical marijuana facilities and dual-licensed facilities, allowed by state law to sell medical and recreational cannabis, to operate in the city.

Marijuana cultivation and infusion facilities are also permitted in the city if they are located in light and general industrially zoned areas.

Mesa does not allow recreational-only facilities to operate in the corporate boundaries of the city.

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Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa wants marijuana facilities to relocated in large industrial areas