LIVERMORE FALLS — A proposed cannabis ordinance is headed to voters following a March 17 public hearing focused on how recreational sales would be regulated locally.

In the proposal, existing medical cannabis businesses would be eligible to apply for recreational sales licenses but must meet new requirements, including setback rules and maintaining separate, clearly marked storefronts with no direct internal access between medical and recreational operations, as required by state law.

The draft ordinance establishes a 500-foot setback requirement, measured property line to property line, from schools, including related facilities, day cares, recreation and athletic fields, religious institutions, public parks and libraries. The distance is defined as the shortest straight-line measurement, without regard to structures or obstacles.

The Select Bboard indicated that two recreational licenses would be allowed initially on a first-come, first-served basis, despite questions from residents about whether more could be issued.

Existing medical cannabis retail businesses would be given priority to apply for those licenses within a six-month window following adoption of the ordinance. Those businesses may add recreational retail operations at their current location, provided they maintain a separate storefront and receive site plan review approval. If the licenses are not claimed within that timeframe, they would become available to other applicants.

In the ordinance, existing, legally established medical cannabis businesses near restricted areas, such as the library, would remain grandfathered, though any relocation would require planning board approval and new licensing.

Any change in ownership requires the new owner to obtain all required state and local approvals, including site plan review, before beginning operations. If approvals are not secured within six months, the location would lose its grandfathered status. Licenses themselves are not transferable, meaning ownership changes require a new licensing process.

Vice Chair Bruce Peary said the ordinance reflected compromise among stakeholders.

“Not everybody got what they wanted, but everybody got something they could work with,” Peary said.

The ordinance was developed with input from business owners, the planning board and community members, and will go before voters for final approval.

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