After recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month and Suicide Prevention Month, the Hopkinsville City Council discussed zoning for medical cannabis facilities and received an update on the Rotary Park project at their Tuesday meeting.
Medical Cannabis is set to be legal in Kentucky by 2025 and in their June 18 meeting the council voted to apply to have a dispensary located in Hopkinsville. Community and Development Services was then tasked with developing zoning regulations which were presented by CDS Executive Director, Tom Britton.
Christian County is in a seven-county region where four dispensaries will be located and Britton says there is a good probability that a dispensary will be placed in Hopkinsville. If a dispensary is located in Hopkinsville, Britton recommends that it should be placed in a B-4 arterial commercial district which includes areas of Fort Campbell Boulevard, Skyline Drive, Pembroke Road and North Main Street.
Britton expressed the importance of locating the dispensary in an area that has good roadway access because it is unknown what the dispensary’s traffic will look like.
For medical cannabis processing and cultivating facilities, Britton recommended that they be located in an I-2 heavy industrial district.
Any medical cannabis related facility can’t be located within 1,000 of any existing schools or daycares and is restricted to large roadways.
Ward Six Council Member, Travis Martin motioned to amend the zoning recommendations by removing regulations that would require any medical cannabis facility to have a 40-foot buffer zone between residential zones. The council accepted the amended recommendations and will vote on them at a later meeting.
Concerning Rotary Park on Pardue Lane, City Chief Financial Officer, Melissa Clayton says they received two construction bids for the park, but they are over budget so they are rejecting both bids.
To reduce the park’s price, Hopkinsville Public Works Director, Mike Perry says they plan to issue a bid first for construction of the southern portion of the park and reduce the size of the sidewalks. Next year, Perry says he will come back to the council to discuss funding for the northern portion of the park.
To conclude the meeting, the council reapproved setting their 2024 real property tax rate at 20.9 cents per $100 of assessed value and approved designating the L&N Depot as surplus property to give private investors the chance to renovate the interior of the building while maintaining its historical architecture.