The "Pit Stop" is going down!

        For context:  Please review my prior article published on April 10, 2019.  The link is here: 

LawrenceTownshipNJManagerKPN: The "Pit Stop" site aka "Our Zombie Property Front and Center"

         In what has been a more than 4-year process, we have finally received confirmation that the demolition of the Pit Stop building (located at 1175 Lawrence Road) has been scheduled for the week of July 12, 2021!  Funded by a grant received from the NJDEP "HDSRF" Program, the demolition of the building is a fortunate necessity to allow for the continued environmental testing of the site (i.e., the soil under the footprint of the building) for contamination detection and remediation work.

        As I discussed in my 2019 article, the goal of this complicated process will result in the site being cleaned, the owner conveying the property to the Township for $1, and the Township creating a passive park for residents to enjoy and feel a better sense of community pride as they drive by this prominent location along Lawrence Road.  

        This process has provided us with the blueprint to "attack" another long contaminated lot along Brunswick Avenue where Craft Cleaners used to operate and to clean it and return it to the community for the continued redevelopment of that section of our town.  Stay tuned on that one....

Governor Phil to Mayor Jim: 700K for your Brunswick Pike Streetscape Improvements (aka The Boulevard at Brunswick Pike)

 

            Two nights ago I received a curiously written text from Lawrence Township Mayor Jim Kownacki.  It said, "Kevin, got a call from Gov. Phil Murphy today.  Lawrence will get $700K for Brunswick Pike."  So, I asked myself, "Did the Governor really call our Mayor with this news" thinking maybe it was someone from the Governor's office that made the call.  Ummm, no.  It was the Governor.  And, yes, we are receiving $700K to continue with our Brunswick Pike streetscape improvements (for a section of roadway to become known as The Boulevard at Brunswick Pike.  

        This is a very solid amount of funding that we can use wisely for maximum impact towards improvements to the area.  We tried for the past several years for funding from various State and Federal grants without success.  Knowing we are receiving this substantial amount of money is providing us with a nice kick in the pants to get going in making this area....better.  The community deserves it and south Lawrence deserves it.  The overall plan to improve the Brunswick Pike streetscape is more than 15 years in the making.  It is a long time by any standard.  But we keep pushing forward until one glorious day when it is completed and woven into the fabric of Lawrence Township. 

        Kudos to our Municipal Engineer James Parvesse and our Engineer/Grant Czar Brenda Kramer for their sticktoitiveness in helping to bring this funding to our community for this important purpose!

        For more information on the concept plans:  See the link below:

https://www.lawrencetwp.com/media/Departments/EngineeringPlanningZoning/Reports%20MP%20Ammendments/Brunswick%20Pike%20Streetscape%20Design%20May%202020.pdf

The Township Seeks Grant Funds for “Hero Dog Park” at Hamnett Park

 

        On June 1, 2021, I wrote an article about creating a dog park at Hamnett Park, located on Ohio Avenue in south Lawrence. On June 2, 2021, I wrote another article that provided insight into the Town’s grant program.  Today, these two subjects come together to let everyone know that our Grant Czar (my name for her), Brenda Kramer, has submitted our application and entered the 2021 Bark For Your Park Contest in the hope that we are awarded money to assist us in “creating a safe, off-leash area for pets and pet parents to enjoy for years to come” (as the contest describes).  I will certainly report back when the winners are announced.

         Here is a link to the application we submitted if anyone is curious: 

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:8c849e04-96fc-4855-a067-205ff1b95c38

         Additionally, I thought this was an excellent opportunity to announce that we intend to name our dog park “Hero Dog Park” and explain the origin and meaning behind it. 

         In a Lawrence Historical Society Facebook post on June 6, 2020, there was a link to a July 13, 1995 article in the Lawrence Ledger written by James J. Hewitt.  Mr. Hewitt was a Township resident, and his article described his unique and amazing WWII story about him and a captured Japanese war dog named “Kiska” (later to be named Moose) that he befriended and took care of while he served his country in war.  The link to that article is here:

 https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:afb2c224-b36a-4b11-b4d9-7bf440fbaee1

        To summarize the article (but really read the article...it's incredible), PFC Jim Hewitt served our country in WWII in the 98^th Battalion, and was stationed in the South Pacific on a small island called Butaritari.  While there, he met and befriended a captured and hostile German Shepard dog trained as a war dog by the Japanese army.  Eventually, Kiska warmed up to Hewitt and his unit, and they affectionately renamed him “Moose” to better suit his character. The two formed a bond like only a man and his dog could under extraordinary circumstances.  But it was not to last.  Hewitt was transferred off the island and Moose was transferred back to a U.S. base in Hawaii to attend K-9 training school, where he eventually entered into the U.S. Army and serve alongside our soldiers.  Hewitt, however, always kept track of “his” dog wanting to be reunited at some point after the war.  Just to state the obvious--this dog served in both the Japanese and U.S. Army during the same war!!! 

         In 1945, after Hewitt was discharged from the army, he received a letter from the Central Pacific Base Command Headquarters.  It read, “It is with a deep sense of regret that I must inform you of the death of your dog Moose, who was killed on June 20, 1945, in action against the enemy.”  It further described, “While scouting the enemy-held village with his handler, Moose located and surprised two Japanese soldiers concealed in the grass, one of whom threw a grenade within two feet of his handler.  Moose knowing it to be a weapon, leaped on the grenade as it exploded, fatally wounding him but leaving his handler unharmed.  Your dog saved the life of his master.”

         Mr. Hewitt wrote in his article that, “Somewhere on the Pacific Island of Okinawa, where Moose died, there is a grave marked, “Moose, U.S. Army K-9 Corps, Army Serial Number OX-79.  Killed in action against the enemy on June 20, 1945.” 

 ….additional cool documents (Letter informing of Moose's death, et al.) here:

 https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:3b8c3e18-741c-4631-8327-683f987b450a

         Just wow!  What a story!  I honestly had no idea that dogs served in the military during the war to the degree that Moose did.  Anyway, this story stuck with our Recreation Superintendent, Nancy Bergen, when she read it last year.  So, when earlier this year I mentioned to her that I wanted to create a dog park at Hamnett Park, she immediately started advocating for the name “Hero Dog Park” to honor Moose and Lawrence resident Jim Hewitt.  And to also provide an opportunity and an area at the park to celebrate other service dogs.  It took 30 seconds after she explained why it should be named this before I was in 100% in.  Fortunately, our governing body enthusiastically agreed!

         Now, let’s get this done! 

 

       

         

  

Lawrence Township Introduces Cannabis Ordinance Restricting Operators To Designated Zones

            Last night, the Lawrence Township Council Members voted to introduce an ordinance that restricts licensed recreational cannabis businesses to designated zones within our community.  The full text of the ordinance is below.

            It is important for everyone to understand that the "New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Modernization Act" (hereafter, "the Act") (here is a link 21_R2.PDF (state.nj.us) requires municipalities to take action and adopt an ordinance to either prohibit or restrict cannabis operators in their community before August 21, 2021, or cannabis businesses may operate in the manner regulated by the general land use ordinance.  Furthermore, if a municipality fails to adopt an ordinance, it is barred from passing legislation prohibiting or restricting cannabis business operations within the community for a period of five (5) years.  

           Also, it is just as important to understand that ordinances passed pursuant to the Act are limited to either prohibiting some or all cannabis businesses from operating within the community or restricting some or all cannabis businesses to designated areas within the community. The ordinance is not supposed to nor may it encompass use issues (i.e., where people are allowed to use cannabis) or regulate or restrict businesses that are not an identified class of cannabis business under the Act.   Opportunities for municipalities to address these other related topics or concerns are not subject to the August 21, 2021 deadline.  

Terms of Interest for our ordinance:

1.  Cannabis Retailers and Delivery Services are restricted to the storefront areas along U.S. Route 1 (the Highway Commercial zone) between Franklin Corner Road and Quakerbridge Road (which includes the Mercer Mall).

2.  Cannabis Retailers and Delivery Services may also operate within the QBM (Regional Commercial Zone) should the mall ownership allow for it.  

3.  There is a limit of two (2) cannabis retailers to operate within the community at any given time.  However, any medicinal marijuana businesses currently operating in the community (there is one, Zen Leaf) are exempt from the limit should it become a licensed recreational cannabis retailer and there are two other cannabis retailers already operating.  This means that at the most there could be three (3) cannabis retailers in the community at any given time.  

            A public hearing on the ordinance will occur during the next council meeting, scheduled for 6:00 pm on July 20, 2021, at the Municipal Building.   The meeting will be open to the public to attend in person.  

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:dc9d0e1a-4868-42b2-812a-77976e558be0

Township of Lawrence

County of Mercer

Ordinance No. 2400-21

AN ORDINANCE BY THE TOWNSHIP OF LAWRENCE IN MERCER COUNTY, NEW JERSEY RESTRICTING THE OPERATION OF CANNIBIS BUSINESSES WITHIN ITS GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES TO CERTAIN DESIGNATED AREAS AND ZONES

WHEREAS, in 2020, New Jersey voters approved Public Question No. 1, which amended the New Jersey Constitution to allow for the legalization of a controlled form of marijuana called “cannabis” for adults at least 21 years of age; and

                WHEREAS, on February 22, 2021, Governor Murphy signed into law P.L. 2021, c. 16, known as the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act” (the “Act”), which legalizes the recreational use of marijuana by adults 21 years of age or older, and establishes a comprehensive regulatory and licensing scheme for commercial recreational (adult-use) cannabis operations, use and possession; and

                WHEREAS, the Act establishes six marketplace classes of licensed businesses, including:

                       ·         Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator license, for facilities involved in growing and                             cultivating cannabis;

·         Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer license, for facilities involved in the manufacturing, preparation, and packaging of cannabis items;

·         Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler license, for facilities involved in obtaining and selling cannabis items for later resale by other licensees;

 ·         Class 4 Cannabis Distributor license, for businesses involved in transporting cannabis plants in bulk from one licensed cultivator to another licensed cultivator, or cannabis items in bulk from any licensed cannabis business to another;

·         Class 5 Cannabis Retailer license for locations at which cannabis items and related supplies are sold to consumers; and

·         Class 6 Cannabis Delivery license, for businesses providing courier services for consumer purchases that are fulfilled by a licensed cannabis retailer to make deliveries of the purchased items to a consumer, and which service would include the ability of a consumer to make a purchase directly through the cannabis delivery service which would be presented by the delivery service for fulfillment by a retailer and then delivered to a consumer.

                WHEREAS, section 31a of the Act authorizes municipalities by ordinance to adopt regulations governing the number of cannabis establishments (defined in section 3 of the Act as “a cannabis cultivator, a cannabis manufacturer, a cannabis wholesaler, or a cannabis retailer”), cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services allowed to operate within their boundaries, as well as the location manner and times operation of such establishments, distributors or delivery services, and establishing civil penalties for the violation of any such regulations; and

WHEREAS, section 31b of the Act authorizes municipalities by ordinance to permit, regulate or prohibit the operation of any one or more classes of cannabis establishments, distributors, or delivery services anywhere in the municipality; and

WHEREAS, section 31b of the Act also stipulates that any municipal regulation or prohibition must be adopted within 180 days of the effective date of the Act (i.e., by August 22, 2021); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to section 31b of the Act, the failure to do so shall mean that for five years thereafter, the growing, cultivating, manufacturing, selling, and reselling of cannabis and cannabis items shall be permitted uses in all industrial zones and the retail selling of cannabis items to consumers shall be a conditional use in all commercial and retail zones; and

WHEREAS, after the initial and any subsequent five-year period following a failure to enact local regulations or prohibitions, the municipality shall again have 180 days to adopt an ordinance regulating or prohibiting cannabis businesses, but any such ordinance would be prospective only and would not apply to any cannabis business already operating within the municipality; and

WHEREAS, the governing body of the TOWNSHIP OF LAWRENCE (hereafter, the “TOWNSHIP”) has determined that due to present uncertainties regarding the potential future impacts that allowing one or more classes of cannabis business might have on New Jersey municipalities in general, and on the TOWNSHIP in particular, it is at this time necessary and appropriate, and in the best interest of the health, safety, and welfare of the TOWNSHIP’s residents and members of the public who visit, travel or conduct business in the TOWNSHIP, to designate certain areas and land use zones within the TOWNSHIP in which the six marketplace classes of licensed cannabis-related businesses may operate within the geographic boundaries of the TOWNSHIP; and

 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, by the governing body of the TOWNSHIP OF LAWRENCE, in the County of Mercer, State of New Jersey, as follows:

       1.    Pursuant to section 31b of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (P.L. 2021, c. 16), all cannabis establishments, cannabis distributors, or cannabis delivery services are hereby designated to operate within the boundaries of the TOWNSHIP as follows: 

            2.   Mixed Use 2 (MX-2) District: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses:

           a.           Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator

b.           Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer

c.            Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler

d.            Class 4 Cannabis Distributor

      3.    Mixed Use 3 (MX-3) District: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses:

           a.            Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator

b.            Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer

c.            Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler

d.            Class 4 Cannabis Distributor

                 4.     Limited Industry (LI-1) District: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses:

           a.            Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator

b.            Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer

c.            Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler

d.            Class 4 Cannabis Distributor

        5.            Regional Commercial (R.C.) District: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses:

 

a.                  Class 5 Cannabis Retailer

b.                  Class 6 Cannabis Delivery

       6.        Highway Commercial (H.C.) District where the property has frontage on U.S. Highway Route 1 between Franklin Corner Road and Quakerbridge Road: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses:

 

a.                  Class 5 Cannabis Retailer

b.                  Class 6 Cannabis Delivery

         7.         The number of Class 5 Cannabis Retailers shall not exceed two (2) in the Township at any time.  Any currently licensed medicinal marijuana operator in the Township may not be denied under this provision to operate hereafter as a licensed Class 5 Cannabis Retailer or Class 6 Cannabis Delivery Service.

         8.            The Township shall impose a municipal transfer tax pursuant to the Act for the maximum amount allowable for: (a) receipts from the sale of cannabis by a cannabis cultivator to another cultivator; (b) receipts from the sale of cannabis by one cannabis establishment to another cannabis establishment (“Cannabis establishment” is defined as a cannabis cultivator, manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer); (c) receipts from the retail sales of cannabis by a cannabis retailer to consumers.

         9.            Any article, section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or other provision of the Lawrence TOWNSHIP Municipal Code inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance is hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

      10.     If any section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or provision of this ordinance shall be adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such adjudication shall apply only to the section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or provision so adjudged, and the remainder of this ordinance shall be deemed valid and effective.

       11.         This ordinance shall take effect upon its passage and publication and filing with the County of Mercer Planning Board, and as otherwise provided for by law.

Introduced:        June 15, 2021

 NOTE:  Here is a link to a color-coded zoning map that provides some clarity on where the classes of cannabis businesses may operate:  

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:e1418d15-7702-4536-81be-11260977e2bf

A Re-opening plan and revised employee guidelines.

 

Just sharing some interoffice communications with the community.....

Memo

To:	Lawrence Township Employees
From:	Kevin P. Nerwinski, Esq., Municipal Manager/QPA
cc:	Kathy Norcia, Clerk
Date:	June 7, 2021
Re:	Update to Covid-19 Related Guidelines for Township Employees.

        On June 4, 2021, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order #244 formally terminating New Jersey’s public health emergency over the coronavirus pandemic.  The decision was due to the decreasing cases and hospitalizations and more NJ residents getting vaccinated.  Though the pandemic continues, we will be implementing a “re-opening” plan for municipal buildings and revised guidelines for employees as follows:

1.  The Municipal Building will be open immediately for in-person committee/group meetings after 4:30 pm.  Vaccinated persons will not be required to wear masks.  Proof of vaccination will NOT be requested;

 2.     Municipal buildings will open to the public on July 7, 2021.  Vaccinated persons will not be required to wear masks.  Proof of vaccination will NOT be requested.  I encourage all employees to “mask up” when interacting with the public[1].

3.    The Municipal Building entrance and exit will continue to be restricted to the North entrance for all visitors until further notice.  A manned receptionist desk will remain at the entrance to greet and direct visitors; 

4.    Vaccinated employees will not be required to wear masks in the hallways or when interacting with other employees.  Wearing masks is encouraged for all employees who have the need to do so;

5.     Employees will continue daily CovidQuickScreen reporting until further notice; and 

6.  Employees who test positive for Covid-19 or are required to quarantine due to exposure to Covid-19 are authorized to use accrued sick-time or other accrued paid leave.  Administrative time is no longer available.

         We do appreciate your support and cooperation.  Please remain vigilant but sensible in your approach to dealing with this health concern.  Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Debbie Monroe or me.

---

[1] Restrooms across from Engineering and Construction offices will be designated for use by the public (but may be used by employees).  The restrooms in the basement area and West end of the municipal building will be reserved for “Employees Only” until further notice.

Talkin' Whitehead Road round-a-bout blues....

             The WRTF met again this morning along with our traffic consultant to discuss his observations and recommendations to improve the area.  Jeffrey A. L'Amoreaux, P.E., is a member of Arora and Associates, P.C.'s Taffic Engineering Group that is responsible for preparing traffic signal designs, signing and striping plans, assisting with the development of traffic control plans and detours, and providing traffic operational analyses in terms of capacity and level of service determinations.  Although our community has many social media-based traffic experts with thoughts and opinions on the round-a-bout, we thought it best to turn to an engineer with a practice focused on traffic design to help guide our work to improve the area!  (allow me a little bit a pushback....!).

            In the spirit of transparency, I am sharing his "draft" report that formed the basis of our discussion today.  The link to the document is here: 

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:37131a50-8e3c-4b30-9534-44d3ddcdac08     (you have to cut and paste it to view).

• The solar-powered "Yield" signs have been ordered.  They will be prominently located at the three entries to the round-a-bout and motion will activate a blinking light sequence.  
• The Whitehead Road entry point (which is the location for most of the crashes) will be modified and re-configured (by street striping) to promote a more cautious entry.  
• The entire area will be re-signed (i.e., removing ineffective signs, and replacing and locating DOT required signage with maximum impact sizing and colors).  
• The digital sign 500ft from the US Southbound entry point will be replaced with a more permanent sign.  
• The interior of the round-a-bout will be completed with the installation of 3 wind turbines that will be a symbol of the Town's commitment to renewable energy (and will create the energy needed to illuminate them at night).  Completing the interior will provide orientation to motorists unfamiliar with the area or who fail to recognize the round-a-bout due to inattention.
• Police presence in the area will continue to slow motorists down.  NOTE: It cannot and will not be a 24/7 365 day detail --- the police resources are limited and we have 22 square miles to cover on a daily basis. 

        The above is not a complete list of the work to be done to assist motorists in better managing the round-a-bout.  Unfortunately, spending the "people's money" requires compliance with state law.  As a result, for those that feel frustrated by what they have concluded to be a delay in the process, you should know that there is a process that we MUST follow to spend tax-payer money.  The things we could accomplish quickly (i.e., installing the digital road sign, installing the reflectors around the perimeter of the round-a-bout, and requiring removal of signs and reduce shrubbery to increase visibility), we did.  Items that require the expenditure of money (not provided for in the municipal budget) takes a little bit more time and planning to turn into reality.   Stay tuned. 

Draft Cannabis Ordinance designate certain areas in which cannabis businesses may operate in our community.

         As promised, I am sharing a draft version of a Lawrence Township ordinance that will designate certain areas in which cannabis businesses may operate within the community.    New Jersey state law requires municipalities to adopt such ordinances by August 22, 2021, or lose the right to for a period of 5-years.

        Below is the draft ordinance.  It is in the process of being reviewed and considered by the governing body and may, in some form, be on the agenda for the next council meeting.  

ORDINANCE NO. ____

AN ORDINANCE BY THE TOWNSHIP OF LAWRENCE MERCER COUNTY, NEW JERSEY RESTRICTING THE OPERATION OF ANY CLASS OF CANNABIS BUSINESSES WITHIN ITS GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES TO CERTAIN DESIGNATED AREAS AND ZONES

WHEREAS, in 2020 New Jersey voters approved Public Question No. 1, which amended the New Jersey Constitution to allow for the legalization of a controlled form of marijuana called “cannabis” for adults at least 21 years of age; and

            WHEREAS, on February 22, 2021, Governor Murphy signed into law P.L. 2021, c. 16, known as the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act” (the “Act”), which legalizes the recreational use of marijuana by adults 21 years of age or older, and establishes a comprehensive regulatory and licensing scheme for commercial recreational (adult use) cannabis operations, use, and possession; and

            WHEREAS, the Act establishes six marketplace classes of licensed businesses, including:

      ·         Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator license, for facilities involved in growing and cultivating cannabis;

·         Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer license, for facilities involved in the manufacturing, preparation, and packaging of cannabis items;

·         Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler license, for facilities involved in obtaining and selling cannabis items for later resale by other licensees;

·         Class 4 Cannabis Distributer license, for businesses involved in transporting cannabis plants in bulk from on licensed cultivator to another licensed cultivator, or cannabis items in bulk from any type of licensed cannabis business to another;

·         Class 5 Cannabis Retailer license for locations at which cannabis items and related supplies are sold to consumers; and

·         Class 6 Cannabis Delivery license, for businesses providing courier services for consumer purchases that are fulfilled by a licensed cannabis retailer in order to make deliveries of the purchases items to a consumer, and which service would include the ability of a consumer to make a purchase directly through the cannabis delivery service which would be presented by the delivery service for fulfillment by a retailer and then delivered to a consumer.

            WHEREAS, section 31a of the Act authorizes municipalities by ordinance to adopt regulations governing the number of cannabis establishments (defined in section 3 of the Act as “a cannabis cultivator, a cannabis manufacturer, a cannabis wholesaler, or a cannabis retailer”), cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services allowed to operate within their boundaries, as well as the location manner and times operation of such establishments, distributors or delivery services, and establishing civil penalties for the violation of any such regulations; and

WHEREAS, section 31b of the Act authorizes municipalities by ordinance to permit, regulate or prohibit the operation of any one or more classes of cannabis establishments, distributors, or delivery services anywhere in the municipality; and

WHEREAS, section 31b of the Act also stipulates that any municipal regulation or prohibition must be adopted within 180 days of the effective date of the Act (i.e., by August 22, 2021); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to section 31b of the Act, the failure to do so shall mean that for a period of five years thereafter, the growing, cultivating, manufacturing, selling and reselling of cannabis and cannabis items shall be permitted uses in all industrial zones, and the retail selling of cannabis items to consumers shall be a conditional use in all commercial and retail zones; and

WHEREAS, at the conclusion of the initial and any subsequent five-year period following a failure to enact local regulations or prohibitions, the municipality shall again have 180 days to adopt an ordinance regulating or prohibiting cannabis businesses, but any such ordinance would be prospective only and would not apply to any cannabis business already operating within the municipality; and

WHEREAS, the governing body of the TOWNSHIP OF LAWRENCE (hereafter, the “TOWNSHIP”) has determined that, due to present uncertainties regarding the potential future impacts that allowing one or more classes of cannabis business might have on New Jersey municipalities in general, and on the TOWNSHIP in particular, it is at this time necessary and appropriate, and in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the TOWNSHIP’s residents and members of the public who visit, travel, or conduct business in the TOWNSHIP, to designate certain areas and land use zones within the TOWNSHIP in which the six marketplace classes of licensed cannabis-related businesses may operate within the geographic boundaries of the TOWNSHIP; and

 NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, by the governing body of the TOWNSHIP OF LAWRENCE, in the County of Mercer, State of New Jersey, as follows:

1.         Pursuant to section 31b of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (P.L. 2021, c. 16), all cannabis establishments, cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services are hereby designated to operate within the boundaries of the TOWNSHIP as follows: 

             2.         Mixed Use 2 (MX-2) District: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses: 

            a.         Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator

b.         Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer

c.         Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler

d.         Class 4 Cannabis Distributor

3.         Mixed Use 3 (MX-3) District: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses: 

            a.         Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator

b.         Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer

c.         Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler

d.         Class 4 Cannabis Distributor

4.         Limited Industry (LI-1) District: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses: 

            a.         Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator

b.         Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer

c.         Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler

d.         Class 4 Cannabis Distributor

5.         Regional Commercial (RC) District: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses:

 

a.                   Class 5 Cannabis Retailer

b.                  Class 6 Cannabis Delivery

6.         Highway Commercial (HC) District, where the property has frontage on US Highway Route 1: the following marketplace classes of licensed cannabis businesses shall be permitted uses: 

a.                   Class 5 Cannabis Retailer

b.                  Class 6 Cannabis Delivery

7.         The number of Class 5 Cannabis Retailers shall not exceed two (2) in the Township.   

8.         Any article, section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or other provision of the Lawrence TOWNSHIP Municipal Code inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance is hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

9.         If any section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or provision of this ordinance shall be adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such adjudication shall apply only to the section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or provision so adjudged, and the remainder of this ordinance shall be deemed valid and effective.

10.       This ordinance shall take effect upon its passage and publication and filing with the County of Mercer Planning Board, and as otherwise provided for by law.

 

ATTEST:

 

                                                                                                                                                           

                                                , Clerk                                     Hon.                                      , Mayor

 

I, ______________________, Clerk of the TOWNSHIP of Lawrence, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of an ordinance duly adopted by the governing body of the TOWNSHIP OF LAWRENCE on ______________________, 2021.

 

                                                                          ______________________________

                                                                                                                          , Clerk

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