Visalia could get pot dispensaries
-May 1,2021-
This week, Visalia City Council member Greg Collins proposed the city allow 2 pot dispensaries in town, suggesting it was time to change an outdated policy. It has been four years since voters legalized recreational marijuana in California.
“Cities all around us allow these storefronts and we are losing a chance to capture revenue from these operations” he told this reporter. Indeed, at least 8 local cities now allow dispensaries selling recreational marijuana with some communities reporting millions in expected annual revenues from pot growing or sales in their towns.Nearby Woodlake reported the city’s tax revenue generated by the industry topped $800,000 last year. The first pot industries in the small foothill town opened in 2018.
The city manager of Lemoore estimated one dispensary – Woodlake-based Valley Pure – would generate around $500,000 a year in sales tax revenue. Lemoore now allows commercial cultivation in their city limits that city manager Olson says will generate in excess of $2 million. Estimates made in late 2020 note” that Lemoore’s current budget predictions show the city will be about $2.9 million in the red, so Olson hopes the deal will help get the city back in the black.”
“It doesn’t get us all the way there, but it’s definitely helpful,” Olson said in a news account.
In Lindsay, where the city recently approved commercial cultivation in the long vacant Lindsay Olive plant, city revenue was a big draw.
One news report says “The business is expected to create as many as 20 jobs and bring up to $80,000 to the city’s coffers each year, officials said. That’s enough to fund a police officer’s salary, purchase a couple of cruisers, or “a hundred other types of services,” Lindsay City Manager Joe Tanner said.”
Back in Visalia, Collins says he is proposing to limit the number to two and one location in the city – an area east of Downton – the Microbrew District that extends from Santa Fe east to Ben Maddox. Here there are plenty of older, smaller and unused buildings that could get new economic uses.Older auto related and antique stores are found here.
Already the establishment of the microbrew district has resulted in perhaps 7 new businesses east of Santa Fe (like Stacks and BarrelHouse) that have opened in the past few years with more coming.
Here, city policy seeks to “encourage, protect and enhance existing buildings, their productive re-use, and improvements in the East Downtown area. Promote the vibrancy and sense of destination and place of the East Downtown area by establishing this area as the recognized center for craft brewing establishments.”
Then there are the jobs. The new Hanford Caliva storefront set to open has 13 employees, a news report says, with a few more being added in the coming weeks. The store will eventually have 30-40 employees after the retail portion is opened. Currently the Caliva store does deliveries only.
For Visalians, the closest pot dispensaries are east off Highway 198 at the Farmersville exit where there are 2 stores.”Why make people drive to another town to get their legal supply” ask Collins?
Under city policy if a council member wants to put an item on the agenda for discussion, they can offer it. But it is up to council if they want to discuss it