Eli Pace / epace@skyhinews.com
A letter signed by Granby’s mayor on behalf of the board of trustees explicitly expresses their “strong opposition” to a proposed marijuana dispensary just outside of town.
“While the Board understands marijuana establishments are permitted in Grand County, the Board and the citizens of the Town of Granby have unequivocally voiced opposition to such establishments within and around the town’s community,” the letter reads.
It’s been addressed and sent to the Grand Board of County Commissioners, an attempt to lobby the county officials ahead of their scheduled hearing on the proposed dispensary set for 1 p.m. Nov. 12.
The application for the recreational marijuana dispensary would put the store at 843 W. Agate Ave. by Grand County Automotive and Ace Hardware, and immediately adjacent to Granby town limits, though it wouldn’t actually be under the town’s jurisdiction.
The application was filed by IgadI, which has a well-established medical and recreational dispensary, its own grow operation and the company’s headquarters on US Highway 40 in Tabernash, about 12 miles down the road from where IgadI has filed to open another retail marijuana store.
Based on the number of pot purchases in Grand County, a considerable sum could be at stake, especially considering there are no other marijuana dispensaries anywhere on Agate Avenue.
Figures released by the Colorado Department of Revenue show that Grand County produced more than $4 million worth of recreational marijuana sales through the first seven months of this year alone. The total is far less than some of Grand’s neighboring counties, but still noteworthy for a county with an estimated population of only 15,000 people.
While IgadI also has other locations in Colorado, none reside in Grand County save the one in Tabernash, and David Michel, IgadI’s general counsel, pointed this fact out over the phone as he said IgadI would like to better serve customers who live on the northern end of the county outside the Fraser Valley.
But the mayor’s letter doesn’t mention the money or access in the county. Rather, it seizes on a 2010 vote disallowing medical marijuana sales in Granby, along with “community feedback and additional hearings regarding recreational marijuana facilities,” when the board voted down recreational marijuana establishments.
“As discussed above, on numerous occasions the citizens of Granby and the Board of Trustees have made clear that they do not desire any marijuana establishments within their community,” the letter states.
The town’s elected officials taking a hard stance against the proposed dispensary came somewhat as a surprise to IgadI, Michel said, explaining that IgadI’s management team believed the town wouldn’t take a stance for or against the dispensary.
Michel emphasized that he doesn’t want to get into any kind of public relations battle with the town and plans to speak before the board on Tuesday, but he said IgadI has already put enough time and money into the application that he’s expecting the company to see it through.
“The community will speak out for or against (the new dispensary), and the commissioners can make their decision based on that, and I will respect whatever decision they make,” Michel said. “But the location meets all requirements and the ownership meets all requirements … so there is not a solid justification for denying this.”
In closing, the Granby mayor’s letter also asks the county commissioners to consider negotiating an intergovernmental agreement with the town so both of them have “certain assurances” when these kinds of development matters arise along their common boundary in the future.
The county commission meets on the first four Tuesdays of each month at 308 Byers Ave., Hot Sulphur Springs. Anyone wishing to offer comments on the proposed dispensary can voice them in person during the hearing; mail them to PO Box 120, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451; or email comments to GrandClerk@co.grand.co.us.