Reversing an earlier decision, Mountain View bans storefront pot shops

In an unexpected move, the Mountain View City Council has banned storefront cannabis dispensaries within city limits — reversing an earlier decision to allow them.

In front of a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 100 residents, the council voted unanimously Thursday night to amend its cannabis business ordinance — prohibiting storefront cannabis shops but allowing up to three warehouse and delivery businesses.

The vote culminates more than 18 months of council and planning commission meetings, study sessions and several resident surveys on whether marijuana businesses should be allowed within the city.

The council acted after listening to dozens of residents speak, most of whom opposed allowing cannabis businesses entirely.

“For the past couple of years, I’ve been very consistent in my view that we needed to listen to the residents, and the residents did not want storefront businesses in our city,” Mayor Liza Matichak said in an interview Friday morning.

Matichak commended her fellow council members for working together to come up with a plan that everyone could support.

“It was great to have so much collaboration, and I feel like we came up with a really good solution or compromise that we could all support,” she said.

Those opposed to the stores — many armed with signs that read “protect kids, not post shops” — voiced a plethora of concerns, including a negative influence on children, crime and air quality.

Lily Wang, who has lived in Mountain View for more than 20 years, said she wanted Mountain View to follow the decisions of surrounding cities that have almost entirely banned storefront pot shops.

“This is a high tech place and we have a good reputation, we don’t want to damage our reputation,” Wang said in an interview after the meeting. “I’m so thankful for the council working hard and taking care of Mountain View residents.”

Although California voters legalized recreational marijuana in Nov. 2016 by passing Proposition 64, cities can regulate it within their boundaries. Following Thursday night’s decision, Mountain View joins more than a dozen Bay Area cities and hundreds of California municipalities that have banned the businesses.

In October, Mountain View City Council passed an ordinance allowing four cannabis businesses within the city boundaries — two storefront shops and two warehouse and delivery businesses.

But about four months later, newly elected councilwoman Ellen Kamei voiced concerns about the city’s ordinance and asked council to consider tightening the restrictions.

At a meeting in March, the council discussed scrapping the ordinance and banning cannabis businesses entirely but that motion was defeated.

Instead, the council asked staff to look into adding tighter restrictions to the ordinance, including bigger buffer zones around schools and other “sensitive use” facilities like parks, libraries and community centers.

At an April 24 meeting, the environmental planning commission meeting voted to recommend that the council amend the ordinance to only allow one cannabis business in the city’s downtown area, prohibit the businesses in and around the San Antonio Center shopping area and mandate a 600-foot buffer zone between storefront cannabis businesses.

The council deviated from that recommendation Thursday after listening to its residents, Matichak said.

Under the city’s ordinance, applicants were required to go through an extensive process that was expected to culminate with a March lottery. That was postponed after residents and the council members began expressing more qualms about the cannabis shops.

Ten potential business owners submitted applications but only four of those applicants were deemed eligible by city staff — three storefront businesses and one distribution business.

Under the amended ordinance, the one distribution business deemed eligible can go forward with opening its business. The other three applicants for storefront businesses will be given the opportunity to reapply for a delivery business.

If the city does not reach three qualified delivery businesses from those applicants, it will open the application process again.