LEWISTON — Following multiple workshops and recent meetings with marijuana businesses, the City Council will likely vote this month on an ordinance governing medical and recreational marijuana.

Lewiston, like Auburn, is on track to have its own ordinance in place prior to the rollout of the state’s regulatory system for marijuana.

According to David Hediger, director of Planning and Code Enforcement, the ordinance “remains a work in progress,” but following a workshop in late May, he said the council could have a final draft to review June 25.

The ordinance would regulate medical and recreational marijuana businesses in the city, including required setbacks from schools and other public buildings.

A week before the most recent Lewiston workshop on the ordinance, the Auburn City Council passed its ordinance after a yearlong process. Lewiston’s proposal mirrors Auburn’s new ordinance in many ways, and the city could join a short list of municipalities to pass a comprehensive ordinance regulating both medical and recreational uses.

Prior to drafting the specifics of the ordinance, Lewiston staff recommended that medical and adult use marijuana establishments be subject to the same local licensing, zoning and performance standards.

The city has issued 31 local caregiver licenses to grow, grow and sell, or sell medical marijuana. Businesses operating with city approval prior to Dec. 13, 2018, are grandfathered in their current location.

The proposal in Lewiston would set the minimum distance between a marijuana store, nursery, and/or dispensary and any two other similar marijuana uses in the same or adjoining zoning district at 500 feet. In Auburn, that buffer was set at 1,000 feet.

It would also require a 1,000-foot setback from schools and public parks, playgrounds, or recreational facilities owned by the city.

Hediger said that in April, caregivers licensed in Lewiston were invited to a meeting with city staff and police to review the recommendations that were provided to the council. Overall, he said, caregivers “seemed to be supportive of the regulations,” while providing suggestions.

Hediger’s memo to the City Council said caregivers were concerned over the 1,000-foot buffer, as state law allows municipalities to lower the buffer to 500 feet. At least two councilors said during the May workshop that they would be in favor of reducing the buffer to 750 feet.

While the proposal does not include specific setback requirements for day care facilities, because the majority would fall in a residential zone where marijuana businesses are not allowed, at least two councilors said they had concerns for smaller day care operations that may fall in other zones.

During the workshop, a number of employees from Lewiston medical marijuana operations spoke about their recent discussions with police and said they have created an association to work closely with the city on issues relating to marijuana businesses.

The ordinance would also set annual permit and licensing fees to operate in the city, which have been closely watched in other communities. The current license application fee in Lewiston is $550 annually.

However, Hediger’s memo states, “Given the unforeseen number of existing establishments and the potential for more, as well as the amount of time and resources involved by various departments in processing and inspecting establishments … there is a justifiable need to increase the fee.”

Some caregivers have expressed concerns with the proposed increases, but staff argues they are consistent with other municipalities. The recommended fees are $1,500 for a marijuana store, $1,000 for a manufacturing facility and $500 for a testing facility.

For cultivation facilities, the city is proposing a sliding scale based on the square footage of “mature plant canopy.” The proposed fee is set at $1,000 for the smallest facilities, and increases to $5,000 annually for the largest facilities.

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