Winter Park, Maitland pass medical marijuana regulations

Winter Park and Maitland both took action Monday in preparation for medical marijuana’s potential legalization, passing the first reading of a series of regulations on where medical marijuana treatment centers can be located.

In Winter Park, the regulations would allow treatment centers in parcels of land zoned as I-1, though the buildings must also be at least 100 feet away from residential homes and 1,000 from schools, daycare centers, religious buildings and other medical marijuana treatment centers.

The only portion of the city that meets all of the criteria is the warehouse area surrounding Solana Avenue, wedged between Denning Drive and U.S. Highway 17-92.

Regulations would prepare the city in advance for the potential medical marijuana legalization during the upcoming November election.

“Obviously no one knows if the constitutional amendment is going to pass,” Planning Director Jeff Briggs said. “We don’t know how it’s going to be implemented by the legislature, but staff felt we should be proactive and have something on our books in case all of those things happen.”

Regulations passed in Maitland would also limit the sale of medical marijuana one specific zoning area – one that’s so specific it only encompasses a single building, which happens to be located just across the street from the Maitland Police Station. Even there, the city’s Community Development Director Dick Wells said, it’d be nearly impossible under the proposed ordinance for a seller to get approval to dispense from that location due to its close proximity to city parks. The Maitland City Council is set to take a second vote to set the ordinance in stone on Nov. 10.

Medical marijuana sparked anxiety among the Winter Park City Commissioners, who were unsure of what Winter Park will look like with marijuana legalized.

Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley said it’s important for the city to have something in place before November as a safety net, in case medical marijuana is legalized and state regulations aren’t in place yet.

“I don’t want to wake up and find a medical marijuana treatment center on Park Avenue because we didn’t take our action,” Bradley said.

City Attorney Larry Brown noted that the city regulations could change depending on what action the state takes and what laws they put into place.

Other concerns came from local businesses owners. Warehouse owner William Berger said his building sits right inside the proposed area for a medical marijuana treatment center.

“We run a mom-and-pop industrial warehouse facility and we’ve been there for over 40 years,” Berger said. “We have a variety of concerns about this facility…. We have concerns about traffic, about loitering, about drug deals taking place outside of the facility.”

“[Our tenants] don’t want this facility that close to their operating businesses.”

Bradley added that Winter Park should consider looking at banning the smoking of marijuana in city parks as well.

“Pills I take impact me, very rarely do pills I take impact lots of people,” Bradley said. “The concept of a medicine – if this is considered medicine – that I can take and impact dozens of people as I walk down the street changes things.”

City Attorney Larry Brown said he would prepare an ordinance banning marijuana smoke in parks that will be reviewed at a future meeting.