CUYAHOGA FALLS —
During the Nov. 13 Cuyahoga Falls City Council meeting,
resident Laura Ghrist ad-dressed council regarding her concerns about marijuana dispensaries in the city — particularly one on the corner of State Road and Chestnut Boulevard.
FRX Real Estate Holding Co. of Ohio LLC purchased 1682 State Road in 2022 and since then, several residents have spoken up about their concerns with the facility.
Ghrist is urging council to draft legislation, zoning amendments and city ordinances to protect the community from the “reckless harms of marijuana and its retail industry.”
She recommended several actions for council to take relative to the passing of Issue 2, such as limiting the number of dispensaries in Cuyahoga Falls and considering measures that would prohibit marijuana retailers from filling vacancies in residential neighborhoods.
“Currently there are no limitations on the distance between marijuana dispensaries and residential areas,” Ghrist said, adding the required limit of dispensaries to be located at least 500 feet from schools is “frighteningly minimal” as school-age children reside in the communities surrounding the schools well beyond 500 feet.
“I urge you to look into these zoning laws further to see how best to amend them — I’m certain greater measures to protect school-age children