Kind Castle gets council nod for first Glenwood Meadows pot shop
Kind Castle will be the first marijuana retail shop to open at the Glenwood Meadows commercial area.
Glenwood Springs City Council last week voted 4-3 to approve the proposal by Kind Castle to construct a new 4,504-square-foot, two story building at the corner of Wulfsohn Road and Flat Tops View Drive.
The location is at the southeast corner of the larger Glenwood Meadows planned unit development (PUD), near the Glenwood Green Apartments.
The retail marijuana shop is planned to take up 3,270 square feet of building space, leaving another 784 square feet for future retail leasing to be determined.
City Council held a lengthy public hearing on Dec. 3, where a range of arguments were made both for and against the application.
Some of the concerns had to do with the potential for odors in the vicinity of the shop, given the close proximity to the two Marriott property hotels, the Glenwood Green and Lofts at Red Mountain apartments, and the Glenwood Springs Community Center.
One of the conditions of approval for the new retail shop is that any complaints about odors emitting from the site or other code violation could cause the special-use permit to be re-evaluated by City Council.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission in August paved the way for marijuana shops to be considered within Glenwood Meadows, overturning a planning staff decision that would have prevented such establishments based on prior city zoning policies.
Glenwood Springs’ retail marijuana regulations prohibit stores in some areas and, though recently revised, still carry stringent separation requirements between marijuana businesses and away from schools and certain other public institutions.
Chris Hawkins of Alpine Planning was retained by Kind Castle to represent the proposal. He noted in his Dec. 3 presentation that the planned air filtration system is expected to mitigate any odor concerns.
Because the facility will not have cultivation on site, it should also be less prone to odor complaints, Hawkins said.
City Council, at its Dec. 17 regular meeting, approved the application with Councilors Tony Hershey, Steve Davis, Shelley Kaup and Paula Stepp in favor, and Mayor Jonathan Godes and Councilors Ingrid Wussow and Charlie Willman opposed.
Iron Mountain Hot Springs expansion approved
Also at the Dec. 17 meeting, City Council unanimously approved an expansion plan for the Iron Mountain Hot Springs.
The plan calls for a new 12,000-square-foot, two-story entry building with locker rooms, restaurant and offices; 10 new mineral pools; an enclosed fresh water pool; four private cabanas, each with small mineral pools; and an expanded parking area.
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