MOUNT HOLLY TO APPROVE MORE WEED BUSINESS
This Time Its Cultivation and Manufacturing Of Cannabis Products
The Creekside Redevelopment Area plan is an update of land use permissions at Block 38, Lots 1, 1.01 and 2 which is located at the corner of Washington and King streets and contains about four acres that include buildings, parking and undeveloped land. It’s the old Bill’s Bargains Location.
The Township’s Planning Board recognized the site as an “Area in Need of Redevelopment,” which allows the township to modify existing land use rules to align with redevelopment objectives including revitalization of the downtown.
While proposed land uses in the Creekside Redevelopment Area include offices, food and beverage establishments, and indoor entertainment, there is a change to also allow cannabis-related uses (cultivation and manufacturing).
One of the controversies with this is whether the change would allow the owner to use all of the space inside as cannabis operations or whether the street facing space would be REQUIRED to be non-cannabis uses such as cafes and shops.
The planning notion with this is that a downtown space should be dedicated to providing a retail and other commercial experience that attracts residents and non-residents alike. A manufacturing or warehouse space can provide the town with revenue, but does nothing to promote Mount Holly as a destination.
The sign displayed on Washington Street advertises that street front spaces will include retail and restaurant, but the ordinance does not provide enforceable rules mandating those uses. And this is what concerns Council Member Tara Astor.
“The redevelopment plan name conjures a bucolic creek-side space for shops. And while I am excited for the possibility of more retail and entertainment spaces, I am also concerned that as written, the ordinance doesn’t limit the cannabis cultivation and manufacturing locations. I want to make sure we have an enforcement mechanism limiting cannabis to the rear portion of the property. ” Tara Astor, Council Member
COUNCIL WILL VOTE THIS MONDAY
On Monday April 13 at 6pm town council will meet to vote on the Creekside Redevelopment Plan, which is on the agenda as Ordinance 2026-3. If the ordinance passes as written, there will be no enforceable language to limit the space devoted to cannabis growing and manufacturing.
Would that outcome contribute to a downtown that Mount Holly residents want or need? If you have questions or concerns about the ordinance, come to the council meeting at 6pm April 13, at 17 Pine St (The Firehouse).