Following up on news from July, the City of Delta has finally fully approved its first application for a cannabis retail store. Council gave the final reading to the proposed store in a meeting in late November after considering all the possible effects on the community and deciding it was a net positive.
Give It A Go
Vikram Sachdeva, who operates Seed & Stone locations in Chilliwack and Victoria, was the first to submit an application back in June before Delta had even opened a call for submissions—he just decided to go for it. Luckily, it worked out and council accepted his application, finally approving it during a November 22 meeting. Council had quite a few recommendations and requirements, however. Before approval, the city held a public hearing to rezone the industrial area, and after a presentation from Seed & Stone, four attendees spoke out in favour of the application, and only one spoke out against it.
Sachdeva and Council also worked together to ensure that the retail portion of the warehouse-style building was no more than 25% of the total area so it would be easier to convert back into a warehouse if the cannabis store moves out. They agreed on a 1,001 square foot retail storefront and a 2,637 square foot warehouse on the main floor, along with a 1,044 square foot office mezzanine. Delta Police also recommended adding exterior lighting for the outside of the building and parking lot, installing bollards at the store entrance to prevent vehicle breaks-and-enters, and trimming the existing landscaping to maintain sightlines.
Council agreed that there likely wouldn’t be any negative impacts on the community, and passed their recommendation for approval on to the Liquor Distribution Branch.
More To Come
According to Delta’s local newspaper, the Delta Optimist, another store operated by Inspired Cannabis Co., has already passed its first and second reading in council, with a public hearing scheduled for December 13. Four additional applications are also said to have been submitted—three in South Delta, and one in North Delta—and are under review by city staff before heading back to Council for approval.
Since Delta opted out at the onset of legalization, local regulations are still in place to see applications on a case-by-case basis, but decided that six was enough and that they wouldn’t accept any new applications “until further notice.”