Medical marijuana dispensaries won't be opening up in Chadds Ford Township anytime soon, but they eventually will, and one is already considering coming to town. So, the township Planning Commission is now preparing ordinances to control where they may open and how they must operate.
Medical marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania, and the state requires municipalities to accommodate all legal businesses within their zoning codes. If the state legislature approves recreational cannabis, that, too, must be accommodated.
In October 2020, the Planning Commission learned that the dispensary company PharmaCann was interested in opening a shop in Springwater Plaza. Since then, commission members Timotha Trigg and Kathleen Goodier have been researching ordinances from other townships. During the Feb. 10 Planning Commission meeting, Trigg said they leaned heavily on Concord Township's ordinance to come up with ideas for Chadds Ford.
Trigg said Concord's ordinances "seemed the most worthy of consideration. So, we used that as a base and inserted some other provisions that made sense from other [municipalities]…We tried to compile what seem to be provisions that townships like [ours] have put in their ordinances, as a first step." She stressed, "We're just getting started."
Trigg said there are two facets to possible ordinances, the dispensaries themselves and growing facilities. The first aspect is the dispensary itself, and then there is the issue of where the cannabis is grown and processed.
During a discussion on possible zoning changes, prompted by a question from commission member Jay Patel, Trigg said having dispensaries along Route 202 makes the most sense.
"It's a commercial zone but in a different kind of way than other areas of the township," she said.
That comment follows those made in October when commission members discussed the possibility of PharmaCann coming into Springwater Plaza. At that meeting, commission Chairman Craig Huffman raised a rhetorical question: "Would you rather have a marijuana dispensary in Springwater Plaza or next to Brandywine Prime?"
Springwater Plaza, Painters Crossing shopping center, a portion of the ground at Oakland Road and Route 202, a portion of the township at Brintons Bridge Road and 202, Olde Ridge Village, Keystone Plaza, and Brandywine Summit are in the PBC, Planned Business Center, zoning district.
The village — where Brandywine Prime is located — is in the B-Business district.
Trigg and Goodier were not presenting a final ordinance or even a draft of an ordinance. Rather, they compiled information from the other townships that Chadds Ford should consider for inclusion in its own ordinance.
Among the points considered for inclusion would be that the dispensary must be in a secure facility with all ingress and egress points dedicated solely to the dispensary. There may be no exterior sales — no sidewalk displays or outdoor seating or vending machines.
Also considered are the installation of security cameras running 24/7 and keeping 120 consecutive hours of surveillance video.
Dispensaries must also be at least 1,000 feet away from schools, daycare centers, playgrounds, public parks, houses of worship, or from any business whose primary clientele are minors. Further, different dispensaries must be at least 3,000 feet apart.
Huffman was absent from the meeting, but Vice Chairman Valerie Hoxter said Huffman wants a fuller conversation during the March meeting, scheduled for March 10 at 7 p.m.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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