City Hall chambers erupted with cheers and about 30 supporters hugged and congratulated each other Tuesday when the Colorado Springs City Council allowed a private downtown club for marijuana smokers to remain open. The city administration had sought to close the club - Studio A64 at the corner of Colorado and Wahsatch avenues - but the council denied the move in a 5-3 vote. The council said the club not only meets the definition of a civic organization, it also meets the city's zoning codes and has done no harm to the city. Further, the council directed the city staff - the very staffers who appealed the club - to write regulations that better define private pot clubs for future applicants. [continues 665 words]
Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach will veto any action taken by the City Council that would allow retail marijuana sales for recreational use, he said Monday. Bach said the Springs needs to join neighboring cities, including Woodland Park and Castle Rock, and ban such sales. "This is so important to our community and in our best interest that I will respectfully need to veto anything short of opting out," Bach said. City Council is expected to discuss two possible options Tuesday: Ban retail sales of marijuana for recreational use; or, allow sales, but delay them until after the November election when Colorado voters will be asked to tax the sales of pot for recreational use. [continues 562 words]
Each speaker who stood at the podium in City Hall on Thursday made a compelling argument about potential retail marijuana sales in Colorado Springs. Selling marijuana in retail stores could lead to more traffic crashes and fatalities, said Colorado Springs Police Chief Pete Carey. On the other hand, selling marijuana could boost the economy with jobs and sales tax revenue. For every point there was a counterpoint as residents in a standing-room only hall waited patiently to speak. "The black market has no rules, no regulations," said Don McKay, co-owner of Southern Colorado Medical Marijuana. "Marijuana comes across the border in bales but the money goes back across in shoe boxes. If we regulate, we can define the rules, say where the stores will be, who sells it, and generate jobs for local residents." [continues 530 words]
Despite Mayor Steve Bach's opposition to retail marijuana stores, the Colorado Springs City Council may be leaning toward approval, provided the "freshmen six" stick to their campaign promises. The six new council members, along with three returning council members, will decide over the summer whether to allow retail pot stores in Colorado Springs. They've already heard public comments from proponents who say the city needs to follow the will of voters who approved Amendment 64 in November, allowing retail marijuana sales in Colorado. They've also heard from retired generals and university officials who say selling pot in retail stores is bad for the community and will hurt economic development. [continues 912 words]
The Colorado Springs City Council will host public hearings this summer to talk about pot. The council must decide whether the city will allow retail marijuana sales or ban them. And there is much to consider in the meantime, said Kyle Sauer of the city attorney's office. Sauer told the council during its Monday work session that it faces a broad spectrum of options either way. The city could, for instance, regulate the time, place and manner of retail marijuana sales, he said. That means the council could limit the number of retail shops; it could add a special marijuana sales tax; it could hold off on the details by way of a moratorium; or it could ban retail marijuana sales altogether. [continues 506 words]