Northfield moving forward with marijuana measure

By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff

NORTHFIELD — City Council voted to move forward with an ordinance that would allow for four of the six types of marijuana businesses to operate in Northfield.

Councilman Paul Utts presented the findings of an ad hoc subcommittee formed to study the feasibility, pros and cons of allowing cannabis businesses within the municipality.

Utts started off by saying if the city votes to allow the businesses, they would be restricted to the Regional Commercial Zone on Tilton Road, from Deborah Avenue to the border with Egg Harbor Township. He noted the shopping center where Tilton Square Theatre, The Spot and Ace Hardware are located would not be included.

Utts suggested excluding the first two classes, cultivating and manufacturing licenses, saying they belong in a warehouse or another space larger than the city can provide.

He said the city could earn 1 percent of wholesale and distribution business and 2 percent of retail and delivery business.

The committee recommended the businesses be allowed no closer than 500 feet to a home “to alleviate the burden on homeowners located near there.”

Utts said the advantage of the Residential Commercial Zone is that it is located in a well-traveled corridor “and could potentially create significant revenue for the city of Northfield.”

“I think it’s probably a win-win for the town,” Utts said. 

City Council President Tom Polistina said it’s a difficult issue, citing an article he read in which an expert stated the businesses are going to open so municipalities might as well gain from them.

“The one thing is whether we approve it or not, we are going to have the issues that come along with recreational marijuana. We might as well make the revenue to deal with the issues,” he said.

Councilman Dave Notaro suggested City Council take as much time as it possibly can to make a decision.

“It’s a very sensitive subject,” he said, noting he polled people since the previous meeting and the result mirrored the statewide referendum on decriminalizing marijuana at 70 percent in favor.

He did stress that the two issues are separate, saying “this is for selling it in our town.”

Notaro also said he doesn’t think the body has enough knowledge to rule out the first two classes.

“They could be less impact with the same revenue,” he said. “We need to look at that further.”

Polistina said there is plenty of warehouse space in Atlantic County and that he looks at Northfield more as a retail area.

He also said there is an odor associated with a grow house, but Utts said everything is indoors for security and pest control and that the enterprise would have to have a filtration system.

Notaro suggested visiting a grow house to find out because “of course I don’t want that smell in our town.”

Polistina said hemp processing emits a significant odor but he did not know whether it would be the same.

Mayor Erland Chau ask if any members of council could foresee any problems with allowing retail sales.

Councilman Frank Perri said it would be important to ban smoking, vaping and the use of marijuana in all municipal places.

City solicitor Kris Facenda then confirmed that the ordinance he was to prepare for consideration would include permission for classes three through six to be allowed only in the Regional Commercial Zone no closer than 500 feet from a residential zone and include prohibition of smoking and vaping in all public areas.

The vote was 6-1, with Councilman Brian Smith casting the lone vote against. Smith said at a previous council meeting that he did not vote to decriminalize marijuana and would not be voting in favor of any item associated with its sale in the city.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, at City Hall.