After nearly a dozen residents voiced opposition last week to a proposed cannabis dispensary, Costa Mesa’s planning commissioners stalled a vote on whether to approve it.
The vote was postponed to Aug. 8 upon request by the applicant who was absent from the meeting; but it didn’t stop residents from expressing their disdain for its proposed location—1072 Bristol Street, Suite 100—which is adjacent to several residential backyards.
“The [dispensary’s] entrance does not face the street, the entrance is in the parking lot which faces the homes,” a resident told the commission at a July 25 meeting.
She said the location is less than 50 feet from her back patio, including her teenage daughter’s bedroom overlooking the parking lot and building.
“I’m concerned about cars, motorcycles, and people pulling in and out of the parking lot until 9 or 10 at night, 7 days a week,” she added.
An insurance business occupies the first floor currently and second-floor tenants include an insurance agency, a property management company, and professional law offices.
The existing tenants are generally open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on weekends. The cannabis dispensary’s proposed operating hours are everyday between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Several residents expressed concern about the possibility of their property values decreasing if the dispensary is approved, with one nearby resident saying he would not have purchased his new home in light of this.
Other residents were concerned about how close the location was to children and two drug rehabilitation centers.
If the application is approved, it would go to the city council for final approval.
Since Costa Mesa legalized retail cannabis in November 2020 only four dispensaries have been approved by the planning commission. But none of them have been approved by the city council.
The applicant of the proposed cannabis dispensary could not be reached for comment.
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