Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said he sees the forthcoming adult-use cannabis industry as an opportunity for local job creation and economic development.
As planning and zoning boards in cities and towns across the state discuss whether they will allow marijuana sales within their borders, Bronin said cannabis dispensaries could help liven up Hartford's struggling retail spaces, many of which were vacant even before the pandemic.
"Retail dispensaries contribute positively to the energy, activity and attractiveness to our retail quarter," Bronin said in an interview. "We are not going to try to prohibit a [building] use that is now legal and for many years has been decriminalized in our state."
Bronin said some prospective cannabis retailers and manufacturers have already reached out to city officials about locating in Hartford, but he wouldn't disclose which companies.
As far as cannabis retailers, the mayor's concerns lie more with making sure their buildings conform to the surrounding streetscape and zoning codes.
To that end, Hartford's Planning and Zoning Commission created a draft zoning matrix that outlines where companies holding each of the nine possible cannabis business licenses can locate in the city. Currently, the draft says marijuana retailers can locate anywhere in the downtown and Main Street districts, part of the commercial-industrial district and part of the multi-use district.
Hartford's mayor said marijuana retailers could contribute to revitalizing the city's moribund retail real estate sector, but he doubts it will be a significant part of that effort. He also pointed to the 3% municipal tax the city would collect from each retailer as an opportunity to reinvest in community programs — although there are currently no specific plans for how Hartford will use those funds.
The city will also welcome cannabis producers looking to locate in Hartford, but Bronin said he wants them to be partners in some aspects of developing the city's economy.
"To the extent that cultivation and processing [locate] here, we're going to have very strong feelings about local hiring," Bronin said.
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October 22, 2021 at 02:51AM
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Hartford Mayor Bronin views cannabis industry as opportunity - Hartford Business
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