The City Bishop’s road to commercial marijuana operations was long and arduous. The final mile, an outline of the permit process, was presented and approved at Monday’s City Council meeting.
The “Step by Step Guide” and application are 46 pages long, or as Councilmember Jim Ellis said “buying a house would be easier.”
The following is a condensed version of the eight-step process.
Property clearance: the applicant has to check with the Planning Director to make sure the potential site meets the City’s requirements regarding zoning and distance from schools and day care facilities
Application submittal: the application form has to be accompanied by a background check/Live Scan form, description of the neighborhood, site plan, floor plans and elevations, sensitive use areas near the site, neighborhood compatibility plan, air quality plan, business plan, security plan, labor and employment plan, what community benefits the business will provide
Background checks
Once the first three steps are completed, the Planning Department will score the application
The highest scoring four applicants (two storefront retail and two non-storefront retail) will be interviewed by a panel including the City Administrator, Planning Director, Police Chief, Finance Director and Director of Public works
If the applicant has survived the first five steps, negotiations of a development agreement begin
The City Administrator recommends two storefront operations and two no storefront operations to City Council
City Council adopts the recommendation
The full guide is available in the Council’s board package at:
https://bishop-ca.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=1119