The Vancouver Board of Variance approved one appeal, extended another and rejected the remaining two last night, while the city warned that the Board may complicate their licensing process.
Canna Mart (4893 Clarendon St) and Eastside Compassion Society (2127 Kingsway) were both turned down by the board, while Erbachay Health Centers Inc (8425 Granville St) was granted an extension until October.
The appeal for Real Compassion Society (151 E Hastings St) was unanimously approved by the Board.
Real Compassion’s approval now places it within 300 m of another dispensary that had it’s appeal approved by the Board earlier in May — Farm Dispensary (369 Columbia St).
Planning and Development Services Project Coordinator Phoebe Stewart, the city’s representative at the Board of Variance, told the Board that their approval of Real Compassion would place the city at an inconvenience as it would cause them to restart the, now completed, declustering process. Board members told Stewart their focus remained on bylaw and hardship, not the city’s process.
The City of Vancouver recently completed it’s declustering process for several dispensaries within 300 m of one another.
Internal audit staff conducted random draws for four clusters with multiple applications in zone compliant areas, with the successful applicant now eligible to move on in the process. Unsuccessful applicants will be allowed to operate for up to six months and reapply in the process if they find a new location that meets zoning regulations.
Successful applicants from the random draw are highlighted in bold:
Cluster 1
- 5055 Victoria Drive – The Herb Co. Kensington
- 4920 Victoria Drive – Lotusland East Vancouver Cannabis Society
Cluster 2
- 610 Robson Street – Vancity Weed Dispensary Inc.
- 548 Robson Street – Kush and Co.
Cluster 3
- 3727 W. 10th Avenue – Lotusland West Point Cannabis Society
- 3747 W. 10th Avenue – Banana Health Society
Cluster 4
- 1712 W 4th Avenue – Apollo Medical
- 1952 W 4th Avenue – Lotusland Cannabis Society
- 1540 W. 2nd Avenue – The Village Dispensary
- 1812 W. 4th Avenue – Daniel Rene Godin
- 1864 W 4th Avenue – Cannawide Dispensary
The city continues its enforcement against non compliant dispensaries, with 139 $250 violation tickets issued and 30 shops closed since Apr. 29.
This week the city announced the first successful business license applicant, Wealth Shop Society (4545 W 10 Ave), with another two the city said are close to being approved.