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The Hayden Town Council will vote Thursday on whether to pursue a more restrictive ordinance on where in town another marijuana dispensary could be opened in the future.
There is already a dispensary approved to open within Hayden. Should the council pursue it, this ordinance would restrict the location of where another shop could open in town.
Council member Bob Reese first brought the issue to the his fellow council members last month, and council scheduled a work session last Thursday to discuss the potential ordinance, which Reese says should restrict the ability for a new dispensary to open on the U.S. Highway 40 corridor within the city limits.
Hayden Town Hall (Photo by Shelby Reardon)
Hayden Town Council discussed changing current rules Thursday to further restrict where in the town a marijuana dispensary could be located, with the main intent being to keep “pot shops” out of the public eye.
The town’s current ordinance, which was approved in 2019, requires dispensaries to be 1,000 feet away from child and daycare facilities, schools, drug and alcohol treatment facilities, public parks, libraries and other recreational spaces. It also requires them to be 150 feet away from transportation channels, like Yampa Valley Regional Airport and U.S. Highway 40 through town.
A new shop would also need to get conditional use permits from council and the Planning Commission, in addition to getting additional site approval from the Planning Commission.
Dylan Anderson / Steamboat Pilot & Today
Hayden students addressed the Hayden Town Council in September 2019 in support of the Hayden Center. Town Manager Mathew Mendisco credits them with convincing council to make it a reality. (File photo)
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS In September 2019, a bunch of Hayden residents testified to Hayden Town Council that it should save a building that meant a lot to them.
“I’ve grown up in that gym,” J.D. Case said. “Every sport I’ve ever played, I’ve been in that gym.”
Case was just 12 at the time, and many of the other residents were students in Hayden, some as young as 5. The building in question was the old high school. The year prior an effort had started to save the building and make it a community center, and while it was possible, there were many risks associated.