The Grand Junction City Council passed an emergency ordinance on March 15, 2023, amending the existing city code concerning the randomized selection process for regulated cannabis business licenses. The randomized selection will occur on March 30, 2023, at 11 a.m. in City Hall at 250 N. 5th Street.
The ordinance clarifies the selection process for possible licenses in the Horizon Drive Business Improvement District and further clarifies that the three Horizon Drive applicants are eligible to be included in the upcoming randomized selection process.
The ordinance also creates a process for High Colorado to be allowed to participate in the selection process while awaiting a decision of an appeal in District Court.
The ordinance states that the random selection among qualified applications will be conducted publicly and held by the Cannabis Licensing Authority at City Hall. The applications will be randomly assigned a number and then a numbered ball corresponding to each application will be randomly selected by the Associate Municipal Judge.
Each selected applicant, except for a contingent application which is necessitated because of the lawsuit, will be offered the opportunity to operate one of the 10 regulated cannabis business licenses.
Applicants do not need to be present at the selection but will be required to have submitted $5,000 to secure the license should their number be drawn.
At the time of issuance of a license, the applicant is required to have paid all fees and must begin operations within 12 months of selection. If a regulated cannabis business does not begin operations within 12 months of selection through the randomized selection process, the license shall be forfeited and the business may not start operation, unless the hearing officer has granted an extension. Questions can be directed to 970-244-1509 or cityclerk@gjcity.org