Planning Commission approves first cannabis dispensary
The Planning Commission voted on May 7 to recommend the City Council approve a conditional use application for what could be the first retail cannabis dispensary to open in downtown Hayward.
Hayward Station is seeking approval to open a cannabis boutique inside a vacant and dilapidated former bank building on the northeast corner of B and Main streets. It would provide marijuana and marijuana-related products for recreational use to people 21 years of age and older and for medical use for people who are age 18 or older.
If approved by the City Council following a hearing scheduled May 28, Hayward Station would still need to obtain necessary state permits, which representatives for the business estimate will take approximately six months.
Hayward Station was among a first group of 15 applicants to receive Hayward commercial cannabis permits through a competitive bidding process open to would-be marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, laboratory testing, delivery and retail businesses.
The Council established City permitting and land-use regulations for commercial cannabis in October and November 2017 after Hayward voters a year earlier backed a statewide measure legalizing adult recreational use of marijuana as well as a city measure favoring taxation of the industry. Under the local system, applicants first must obtain a commercial cannabis permit then apply for a conditional use permit governing where, when and how they will be allowed to operate in the city.
