The city says only three of the 34 dispensaries operating in 2011 made it through the conditional use permit process before the city council put a hold on processing applications.  

Joy Patterson with the city says some closed when they could not meet the minimum distance requirements for dispensaries in relation to facilities like schools.

“This would assist some of them to allow some of those to ask the planning commission to wave some of those requirements so it would open up more locations that they could apply for conditional use permits," she says.

Patterson says about a dozen closed when they could not meet the minimum distance requirements for dispensaries in relation to schools, neighborhoods, and other dispensaries.

"You're 300 feet from residential zones, 600 feet from churches and movie theaters, 1000 feet from another dispensary and 600-to-1000 feet from parks and schools," she says.

Patterson says removing the hold on applications would give businesses that were open in 2011 a chance to become properly permitted.  The city says removing the hold on applications would not guarantee an increase in accepted applications.

About 20 are doing business without a dispensary permit. No new dispensaries would be allowed to acquire a permit.