At their meeting last week, town council moved forward with a proposal that would allow a cannabis retail store at a storefront in Gateway Square. (Vanessa Broadbent / Osoyoos Times)

By Vanessa Broadbent

Osoyoos Times

Yet another location in the town of Osoyoos is being eyed as a potential cannabis store.

At their meeting last week, town council moved forward with a proposal that would allow a cannabis retail store at a storefront in Gateway Square, beside a dollar store.

A public hearing date was also set for April 1 at 4 p.m.

Another proposed cannabis store, planned to go in a space attached to the Owl Pub and Liquor Store, was also addressed at the meeting.

At a public hearing in late February members of the public presented concerns about the amount of traffic in the parking lot adjacent to the storefront, especially with it being a delivery zone.

Suggested by Coun. C. J. Rhodes, council deferred giving third reading to the zoning amendment bylaw, which would allow the applicant to move forward with obtaining the provincial licencing needed to open, and asked Town staff to speak with the applicant on how he will address the concerns.

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“I think many of the concerns that were brought forward were pretty serious ones and I would like to make sure that they’re going to be not only addressed but corrected so it’s a better retail outlet than it is at the current time,” Rhodes said. “In all fairness to the applicant, I think we should hear the solutions that can be brought forward.”

“I do have a concern about the ability for customers, if there was a retail outlet of any kind in there, to be able to get in and out safely,” mayor Sue McKortoff said. “It concerns me that if we move forward with this we could have a liability issue at some point.”

Town staff have also informed the applicant, who also manages the Owl Pub and Liquor Store, that a parkade underneath the building will need to reopen before the summer season, regardless of the verdict on the cannabis store.