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An Ordinance has been received from City Clerk, relative to amending Article 4.30 and Article 11.800 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge
ORDINANCE NO. 2023-4 – FIRST PUBLICATION
CITY OF CAMBRIDGE
In the Year Two Thousand and Twenty-three
AN ORDINANCE
That the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge be amended on a Zoning Petition by the City Council
to amend Article 4.30 and Article 11.800 as follows:
Amend Article 4.30 of the Zoning Ordinance as follows:
Open
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4.32 Transportation,
Communication &
Utility Uses
l. Cannabis Courier
Establishment
No
No
No
No
Yes
58
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes
58
Yes
58
Yes
58
Yes
58
4.35 Retail or Consumer
Service Establishments
s. Cannabis Retail Store No
No
No
No
No
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes
58
No
Yes
58
Yes
58
4.37 Light Industry,
Wholesale Business and
Storage
n. Cannabis Production
Facility
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
PB5
8
No
o. Cannabis Delivery
Operator Establishment
No
No
No
No
Yes
58
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes5
8
Yes
58
Yes
58
Yes
58
Yes
58
Amend Article 11.800 of the Zoning Ordinance as follows:
11.800 CANNABIS USES
11.801Statement of Purpose. The purpose of this section is to provide for the limited establishment of
Registered Marijuana Dispensaries for the medical use of cannabis products and Cannabis
Establishments for the non-medical use of cannabis products, as they are authorized pursuant to
applicable state laws and regulations.
11.802General Requirements
11.802.1Allowed Cannabis Uses.
(a)
Cannabis Retail Stores, Cannabis Delivery Operator Establishments, and Cannabis Production
Facilities shall be allowed as set forth in the Table of Use Regulations (Section 4.30 of this
Zoning Ordinance), subject to the requirements set forth in this Section 11.800, et seq.
(b) Cannabis Retail Stores, Cannabis Delivery Operator Establishments, or Cannabis Production
Facilities, as defined in Article 2.000 of this Zoning Ordinance, may be established to provide
cannabis products for medical or non-medical use, or both, in accordance with applicable
state laws and regulations.
(c) A Cannabis Establishment that is licensed as a Cannabis Independent Testing Laboratory or
Cannabis Research Facility pursuant to applicable state laws and regulations, but is not
authorized to sell or otherwise transfer Cannabis Products to consumers or to cultivate,
manufacture, or otherwise produce Cannabis Products that are intended to be sold or
otherwise transferred to consumers, shall be regulated within the Table of Use Regulations in
Section 4.30 of this Zoning Ordinance as a Technical Office (Section 4.34, Item "f") or, if such
establishment is noncommercial, a Noncommercial Research Facility (Section 4.33, Item "c").
Such establishment shall comply with all state and local laws and regulations, including
regulations promulgated by the Cambridge Public Health Department, where applicable.
11.802.2Licenses and Registration. A Special Permit (where applicable), Building Permit or Certificate of
Occupancy issued pursuant to this Section shall be conditioned on the Permittee maintaining all
required state and local licenses and/or registrations and complying with all applicable state and
local public health regulations and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations at all times. No
Building Permit or Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued for a Cannabis Use that is not properly
licensed and/or registered with the applicable state and local agencies.
11.802.3Limitation of Approval. A Special Permit (where applicable), Building Permit or Certificate of
Occupancy authorizing the establishment of a Cannabis Use shall be valid only for the licensed or
registered entity to which the permit was issued, and only for the site on which the Cannabis Use
has been permitted. If the license or registration for a Cannabis Use has not been renewed or has
been revoked, transferred to another controlling entity, or relocated to a different site, a new
special permit and/or building permit, where applicable, shall be required prior to issuance of a
Certificate of Occupancy.
11.802.4Building. A Cannabis Establishment shall be located only in a permanent building and not within
any mobile facility. All sales, cultivation, manufacturing, and other related activities shall be
conducted within the building, except in cases where home deliveries are authorized in accordance
with 935 CMR 500.000 and other applicable state and local regulations.
11.803Location Standards.
11.803.1Cannabis Retail Stores.
(a)
Cannabis Retail Stores shall be allowed only in those districts set forth in the Table of Use
Regulations (Section 4.30 of this Zoning Ordinance) and special districts and overlay districts
whose use regulations are based on those districts, subject to any limitations set forth in the
regulations of those districts. In the Business A-1 district, only applicants that have been
designed as Economic Empowerment Applicants or certified as eligible to participate in the
Social Equity Program by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission may be permitted
and such designation or eligibility shall be maintained.
(b) A Cannabis Retail Store shall not be permitted within one thousand and eight hundred (1,800)
feet of another Cannabis Retail Store, except if the applicant has been designated as an
Economic Empowerment Applicant or certified as eligible to participate in the Social Equity
Program by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission and maintains that designation
and/or certification.
(c)
All products offered to consumers shall be pre-packaged off-site, and no packaging or
repackaging of cannabis or marijuana products shall take place on the premises of a Cannabis
Retail Store unless it is also meets the requirements for a Cannabis Production Facility.
11.803.2Cannabis Delivery Operator Establishments shall be allowed only in those districts set forth in
the Table of Use Regulations (Section 4.30 of this Zoning Ordinance) and special districts and
overlay districts whose use regulations are based on those districts, subject to any limitations set
forth in the regulations of those districts and provided that the establishment is not greater than
10,000 square feet in Gross Floor Area and that no packaging or repackaging of cannabis or
marijuana products shall take place on the premises.
11.803.3Cannabis Production Facilities shall be allowed only by Planning Board Special Permit in those
districts set forth in the Table of Use Regulations (Section 4.30 of this Zoning Ordinance) and
special districts and overlay districts whose use regulations are based on those districts, subject to
any limitations set forth in the regulations of those districts and provided that the establishment is
not greater than 10,000 square feet in Gross Floor Area.
11.803.4Buffer Zones.
(a)
A Cannabis Retail Store or Cannabis Production Facility shall not be permitted within 300 feet
of a pre-existing public or private school providing education in kindergarten or any of grades
one through 12, except where the Planning Board, in issuing a special permit, approves a
reduced distance upon finding that the location will cause no substantial adverse impact due
to site-specific factors or other mitigating efforts agreed to in writing by the permittee and
made conditions of the special permit.
(b) A Cannabis Retail Store or Cannabis Production Facility shall not be permitted within 300 feet
of a pre-existing public children's playground, public youth athletic field, or public youth
recreation facility, except where the Planning Board, in issuing a special permit, approves a
reduced distance upon finding that the location will cause no substantial adverse impact due
to site-specific factors or other mitigating efforts agreed to in writing by the permittee and
made conditions of the special permit.
11.804Parking and Transportation.
(a)
Any Cannabis Courier Establishment, Cannabis Delivery Operator Establishment, or other
Cannabis Establishment shall park and store all delivery vehicles off-street. Such requirement
may not be reduced or waived. Delivery vehicles shall not be parked on-street except for
authorized active loading/unloading activities. Delivery vehicles may be parked in facilities
that are accessory to the Cannabis Use or in authorized principal use parking facilities.
(b) All parking spaces to be used by customers, employees, visitors, or delivery vehicles shall be
registered with the Cambridge Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department (TPTD),
including a parking layout plan, in accordance with Chapter 10.18 of the City of Cambridge
Code of Ordinances, and shall comply with all other applicable state or local laws, regulations,
and ordinances.
(c)
All Cannabis Retail Stores, Cannabis Courier Establishments, Cannabis Delivery Operator
Establishments, and Cannabis Production Facilities shall submit an Operations and Logistics
Plan to the Cambridge TPTD and Cambridge Police Department before applying for a special
permit (where applicable), building permit or certificate of occupancy. Such plan shall include
the following information using narratives and graphics:
(1)
hours of operation and anticipated numbers of employees and consumers on-site during
operating hours;
(2)
expected frequency of loading/unloading trips by delivery and service vehicles;
(3)
access and egress routes for customers and employees;
(4)
locations of parking and bicycle parking areas for customers and employees;
(5)
number of delivery vehicles, where applicable, and locations where they will be stored
on-site;
(6)
locations where loading/unloading and service activities will take place and a description
of how such activities will be conducted;
(7)
a description of transportation options for customers and employees, including public
transportation services, on-site and off-site parking facilities, transportation demand
management measures to encourage and support sustainable forms of travel for
employees and customers, and short-term and long-term bicycle facilities;
(8)
specific measures that will be employed by the Cannabis Use to prevent adverse impacts
on the public way including but not limited to sidewalk crowding, blocking of vehicular
or bicycle travel lanes, potential safety hazards, and other issues identified by City
departments; and
(9)
a specific plan for the initial opening period that includes measures to identify and
respond to unexpected impacts.
(d) The Cambridge TPTD and Cambridge Police Department shall approve a final Operations and
Logistics Plan prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy for a Cannabis Use, and may
require operational practices to prevent or correct adverse impacts of the operation of the
Cannabis Use on the public way, including but not limited to crowding on the public sidewalk,
blocking of travel lanes by vehicles, or hazardous conditions. Such practices may include, but
are not limited to, restrictions on the use of the public way, required pre-purchase and/or
appointment-only customer service for a period of time, restrictions on the location and/or
timing of loading/unloading activities, or similar measures. When granting a special permit,
where applicable, the Planning Board may also include conditions pertaining to the
Operations and Logistics Plan.
11.805Application Requirements. An application to the Planning Board for a Cannabis Production Facility
shall contain, at a minimum, the following information:
(a)
Description of Activities: a narrative providing information about the type and scale of all
activities that will take place on the proposed site, including but not limited to cultivating and
processing of Cannabis Products, on-site sales, off-site deliveries, distribution of educational
materials, and other programs or activities.
(b) Context Map: A map identifying, at a minimum, the location of the proposed establishment,
the locations of all other Cannabis Uses in the vicinity, the locations of all public or private
schools providing education in kindergarten or any of grades one through 12, and the
locations of all children's playgrounds, youth athletic fields, or other youth recreation
facilities, with measured distances provided to demonstrate whether the location complies
with the standards of Section 11.803 above.
(c)
Site Plan: A plan or plans depicting all existing and proposed development on the property,
including the dimensions of the building, the detailed layout of automobile and bicycle
parking, the location of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular points of access and egress, the
location and design of all loading, refuse and service facilities, the location, type and direction
of all outdoor lighting on the site, and any landscape design.
(d) Building Elevations and Signage: Architectural drawings of all exterior building facades and all
proposed signage, specifying materials and colors to be used. Perspective drawings and
illustrations of the site from public ways and abutting properties are recommended but not
required.
(e)
Initial Operations and Logistics Plan: Containing the information set forth in Paragraph (d) of
Section 11.804 above.
(f)
License or Registration Materials: Copies of all materials submitted to applicable state and
local agencies for the purpose of licensing and/or registration, and any certification or license
issued by any such agency, excluding any information required by law to be kept confidential.
11.806Special Permit Criteria. In granting a special permit for a Cannabis Production Facility Use, in
addition to the general criteria for issuance of a special permit as set forth in Section 10.43 of this
Zoning Ordinance, the Planning Board shall find that the following criteria are met:
(a)
The site is designed such that it provides convenient, safe and secure access and egress for
customers and employees arriving to and leaving from the site using all modes of
transportation, including drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation users.
(b) On-site loading, refuse and service areas are designed to be secure and shielded from
abutting uses.
(c)
The building and site have been designed to be compatible with other buildings in the area
and to mitigate any negative aesthetic impacts that might result from required security
measures and restrictions on visibility into the building's interior and/or from restrictions on
direct access by consumers.
(d) If the proposed Cannabis Production Facility is not proposed to include a Medical Marijuana
Treatment Center, it will nevertheless provide programs to assist qualifying patients within
the city or neighborhood who are registered through the Massachusetts Medical Use of
Marijuana Program in obtaining services under that program.
(Ord. No. 2021-8 , 6-28-2021)
Editor's note(s)—Ord. No. 2021-8 , adopted June 28, 2021, repealed the former § 11.800, and enacted a
new § 11.800 as set out herein. The former § 11.800 pertained to similar subject matter and
derived from Ord. No. 1404 , adopted Dec. 17, 2018.
Passed to a second reading as amended at the City Council
meeting held on August 7, 2023 and on or after
August 28, 2023 the question comes on passage
to be ordained.
Attest:- Diane P. LeBlanc
City Clerk