After Costa Mesa’s planning commission narrowly approved permits allowing a new cannabis store, city council members reversed the decision by approving an appeal against the new business.
It comes after residents and local business owners increasingly pushed back on the proposed store, raising concerns about the number of cannabis stores in the area, as well as their proximity to neighborhoods and youth.
The proposed business would have been located at 1912 Harbor Blvd., which is within a half-mile of four other cannabis stores.
At the April 15 meeting, council members addressed an appeal of the conditional use permit for “Green Mart,” a cannabis store that was approved by planning commissioners with a 3-2 vote late February.
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Read Costa Mesa Considers Another Cannabis Shop, Inches Closer to 35-Store Cap ]
After hearing concerns from the public, city council members voted 5-2 to uphold the appeal, which prevents the new business from moving forward. Mayor John Stephens and Councilmember Loren Gameros voted to allow the store.
One resident, who only introduced herself as Kelly, said she lives near the proposed store and argued there’s already too many cannabis shops in the area.
“There are six dispensaries within a half mile of where I live, from my front door,” she said at the meeting. “Expand that radius to one mile, you get an additional three.”
She continued by saying that her neighborhood seems to be specifically cluttered with cannabis businesses.
“I don’t know where you all live, maybe it’s actually really common,” she said. “Maybe you all, when you leave your house every morning to walk your dog, pass two, three, four, five, six — I can keep going — dispensaries on your walk.”
“Maybe this is just the Costa Mesa experience.”
The project applicant, Keith Scheinberg, told council members he followed the city’s process for opening a cannabis shop from the beginning.
“This council voted for the number of dispensaries that we were allowed to have,” Scheinberg said. “I just played by the rules. To pull the rug at this point would be unfair.”
Stephens, who voted in favor of the store, also spoke about fairness towards the applicant.
“As a business-friendly council and a business that the voters voted for, (that) we have enacted very clear ordinances with respect to, I think it would be really unfair to not vote in favor (of the store),” Stephens said.
Nora, an eighth grader and nearby resident, expressed her disappointment in the choice to open another cannabis store in the area rather than a family-friendly establishment.
“It would be better to see a business or restaurant that could help build community for everyone, including the younger population. For example, children like me,” Nora said.
The council approved the appeal on the grounds that the plans are not compatible with the surrounding developments and general area and that it would be “materially detrimental” to nearby businesses and residents.
Councilmember Arlis Reynolds cited the nearby businesses and the family-friendly environment as her reasoning for voting against the cannabis store.
Nearby businesses include restaurants, a coffee shop, a dog spa and a boba store.
“Placing this right in the middle, I do think negatively impacts the success and environment for those businesses,” Reynolds said at the meeting.
Councilmember Mike Buley spoke on the oversaturation of cannabis stores in the area, another concern discussed at the meeting.
“It looks as though whenever there’s a vacancy, the businesses that we’re attracting in this particular area are all dedicated to new cannabis shops,” Buley said.
Councilmember Manuel Chavez referenced city buffers that are meant to limit the distance between cannabis stores and other land uses. These buffers and other restrictions have been a highly discussed topic in the city since the legalization of retail cannabis in 2020.
[Read Costa Mesa Struggles With Just How Many Cannabis Shops City Should Have ]
“What resulted in the outcomes of those buffers that were voter-approved was an overconcentration in certain marketplaces,” he said.
“As I’m looking at (the project area map), while I sympathize with the applicant and I understand the effort they put in, I cannot in good conscience move forward seeing that there’s going to be four cannabis shops in a one-mile radius.”
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