Currently the City of Hollister, CA is accepting applications to operate a medical cannabis facility. The application process is adopted per the Hollister Municipal Code (HMC) section 5.42.290(A). Follow these steps to apply for a Medical Cannabis Facility license: Step 1: Determine Location for Medical Cannabis Facility Step 2: Complete Criminal History Check (Live Scan) Step 3: Complete and Gather All Required Documentation for the Hollister Medical Cannabis Facility Application Form Prior to applying, review the information and learn about the application process and which documents you will need. Taking a good look at the entire application and ensure all the of required information is available. Step 1: Determine a location for Medical Cannabis Facility The application must include the address and a detailed description of the proposed Medical Cannabis Facility. The applicant must also describe all sensitive uses within a one thousand (1,000) foot radius of the proposed location and certify that the proposed location is not within six hundred (600) foot radius of a school whether it be public or private as described in HMC Section 5.42.160. The Medical Cannabis Facility (MFC) must be located in the appropriate zoning meet all of the locational requirements as in described in HMC Chapter 5.42. Hollister Cannabis Zoning Map: Pertaining to the proposed facility location, there are details that should be included in your business plan. Include as many details as possible regarding:
For additional information regarding the facility that will be used, review the Medical Cannabis Facility (MCF) application at www.hollister.ca.gov that will outline the following:
Step 2: Complete Criminal History Check (Live Scan) Any applicant listed on the application will undergo a Fingerprint-Based Criminal History Records Check conducted by the City Police Department pursuant to Section 5.42.060 of the Municipal Code; included will be a Live Scan and any indicated follow-up investigation; and each individual applying to be a principal of the MCF (“Principal”) must apply for a Live Scan criminal history check. By appointment only this process must be conducted by the City of Hollister. Contact Eva Foster by phone at (831)636-4330 or by email at efoster@police.hollister.ca.us in order to schedule your appointment. Due to limited staff resources, you are encouraged to schedule your appointment as early as possible in order complete your Live Scan requirement before the due date of the application. The City cannot guarantee that it will be able to accommodate applicants who do not attempt to schedule an appointment until near the application deadline, and the City is not responsible for applicants who are unable to schedule an appointment prior to the application deadline. There will be a Live Scan processing fee of $93 per person, which must be paid at the time of the Live Scan. The Live Scan process involves submitting fingerprints to the DOJ, which will review for criminal offender record information (CORI). CORI reports will be provided to the City of Hollister for the sole purpose of determining eligibility for operating a MCF. Principals who do not meet criminal history eligibility requirements will be disqualified. Step 3: Complete and gather all required documentation for the Hollister Medical Cannabis Facility Application Form Application for Medical Cannabis Facility License Application Procedure Applicants must hand deliver a complete comprehensive and signed copy of the Hollister Medical Cannabis Facility Application Form, and all attachments along with a flash drive which contains one comprehensive and signed copy of the application in a pdf format, and payment of $7,492, starting on March 15, 2017 for Dispensary Operations the initial application and fee must be received by 4:00 PM on April 17, 2017. Payment must be made by a certified check, cashier’s check or money order made payable to the City of Hollister. Application Fees are non-refundable. A complete application will consist of the following information:
The City Manager or designee shall administer the following three stage process for the screening and evaluation of medical cannabis facility regulatory permit applications. The process for obtaining approval of a license to operate a medical cannabis facility within Hollister, CA consists of the following three stages: Stage 1: Preliminary Determination of Applicant and Facility Eligibility The application is evaluated for completeness, including the execution of any required agreements accompanying the application form and the following documentation:
There is a review of evidence to determine that 75 percent of the applicants and managers of the medical cannabis facility are residents of the State and have been for at least three years immediately preceding the date of the application. All government issued identification will be reviewed to determine that each applicant, manager, and employee of the medical cannabis facility is over eighteen (18) years of age and that no applicant, manager, or employee of the MCF is a licensed physician making patient recommendations for medical cannabis. All eligible applications will move onto stage 2. Stage 2: Applicant and Facility Evaluation and Scoring A score ranking of 1475 Points will be required to move to Stage 3. Applications will be given a score based on the following criteria: Stage 3: Public Meeting and City Council Final Selection The City Council will make the final determination on whether to issue or deny medical cannabis facility regulatory permit applications according to the following procedure:
It is the right of the City Council to request and obtain additional information from any candidate who submitted a proposal. The City Manager will present to the City Council the final ranking in which the City Council may award at its discretion cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and testing but only two (2) Dispensary permits pursuant to HMC Section 5.42.290. The City Council reserves the right to award a lesser number of permits, or to award no permits at all. Only those applicants on the final list will be eligible to be issued a permit from the initial permit process. The top Applicants which are being recommended by the City Manager for consideration to the City Council should be prepared to attend a City Council meeting in Hollister in order to provide a public presentation before the Mayor and City Council introducing their team and providing an overview of their proposal if requested by the City Manager. |