Marijuana production and distribution land in Olds redesignated as light industrial

OLD — At the request of a landowner, two lots in Olds Southeast Industrial Park have been redesignated from marijuana production only to light industrial in hopes that these properties can be sold more easily.

Both lots are located on opposite sides of 48th Avenue where it meets 68th Street. Specifically, the addresses for the two plots are 6608 48th Ave. and 4607 68th St.

Surrounding landowners and others with an interest in the area were contacted about the proposal and none objected to the plan.

When the proposal was presented at a public hearing in August, no one opposed it in person either, so the public hearing was closed and the council voted in favor of changing the use of the lands.

Previously, both lands were designated Direct Control 7 (DC-7). The only use permitted on lands with this designation is facilities for the development or distribution of cannabis for medical and/or recreational purposes.

During the presentation of the proposal, Craig Teal of Parkland Community Planning Services noted that the requested change matches the area structure plan for the industrial park.

Teal said the requested change would allow for light industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, storage, which would “provide a much wider range of uses” for the properties.

Together, the public hearing and final board approval of the change took approximately four minutes.

The regulation to make the change received first reading on June 13. Time was then given for the proposal to be announced before final approval was considered.