A Cortez medical marijuana dispensary hopes to offer legalized recreational sales as early as next month.
Nate Fete, manager of the Beacon Wellness Group on Main Street, said the company was currently waiting for city officials to approve construction plans to modify its medical shop into a dual operation to include retail sales. He added the company wanted to start construction earlier this month.
“We’ve already hired a contractor,” said Fete. “We’re just waiting on the city to okay the floor plan.”
Fete said city officials had recently indicated to him that the company’s application for a retail license would be decided at the city council meeting on Nov. 11. Beacon Wellness Group filed its application, including a $7,000 operating fee, with the city on Sept. 30.
“If the city council approves our license on the 11th, then we will start retail sales the next day,” said Fete.
In addition to Beacon Wellness Group, City Clerk Linda Smith said The Herbal Alternative on Lebanon Road also submitted a retail application on Oct. 10. She explained the city manager, city attorney, police, fire and building officials must sign off on the applications before being presented to city council for approval.
“Each application is also subject to a public hearing,” added Smith.
Smith could not confirm a date when either application would be presented to council. If the city ultimately rejected an application, then only about $5,000 of the operating fee would be returned, according to Smith.
Those seeking a local retail license were first required to file a $500 application fee with the Colorado Department of Revenue. The state has 45 days to rule on the applications. There are no time mandates on the city to act.
“Neither one of these businesses have been issued a state license for retail sales,” Smith said late last week. “While the city doesn’t have a specified time frame, we want to be active in moving things forward.”
Asked if she could envision a Cortez retail marijuana store opening before the end of the year, Smith indicated there were only four scheduled city council meetings remaining prior to 2015.
“I really don’t know when the first store could open,” said Smith.
Fete remains optimistic despite the city’s calendar, citing he never envisioned that local retail marijuana operations would be allowed so quickly after voter-approved recreational sales started at the state level just 10 months ago.
“Medical marijuana was approved in 2000,” Fete recalled. “We didn’t open the first medical dispensary in Cortez until 2010. No. I didn’t think it would happen this quick.”
tbaker@cortezjournal.com