POCOMOKE CITY, Md. - A proposed cannabis dispensary in Pocomoke City has cleared an early zoning hurdle, but city officials say the project still has several steps to go before it could open.
The Pocomoke City Board of Zoning Appeals recently approved a request tied to the city’s separation distance requirement between a cannabis dispensary and a nearby church. The proposed dispensary would move into the former Plaza Tapatia and Bonanza Steakhouse property on Ocean Highway.
Pocomoke City Planning Director Kristen Tremblay said the board’s decision did not approve the dispensary itself. Instead, she said, it dealt only with the required distance between the proposed business and the church property.
“What was approved through the Board of Zoning Appeals was the actual separation distance from a church,” Tremblay said. “And it was from property corner to property corner. It was not structure to structure.”
Tremblay said the board was not deciding whether the use itself was appropriate for the property. She said the use is allowed by right under state law, and the city’s role in this step was limited to the distance requirement.
“The board is only looking at whether the separation distance was appropriate or not, not whether the use was appropriate, not the particular location,” Tremblay said.
The proposal is still in its early stages. Tremblay said the applicant must submit a complete site plan before the project can be placed on a Planning Commission agenda. The project would also need additional city review and a building permit before any work could move forward.
“They are currently in the process of preparing their site plans,” Tremblay said. “Once the site plan is prepared and in accordance with the code, I can consider it complete.”
The proposal has sparked mixed reaction in Pocomoke City.
Mandy Evans, who said she has lived in Pocomoke her whole life, said she was surprised to hear about the zoning decision. She said her concern is less about cannabis itself and more about whether the property is the right location for a dispensary.
“Just shocked for sure,” Evans said. “You know, it’s different. This is a really small town, and it’s really family oriented, close knit.”
Evans said she would have preferred to see another restaurant move into the building. She said the property has operated as a restaurant in the past and has been vacant for years.
“Absolutely a restaurant,” Evans said. “When I was a kid, it was a restaurant.”
Evans said she believes dispensaries may be better suited for larger or more heavily traveled areas, such as Ocean City or Salisbury. She also said she would like to see businesses that bring more direct revenue and activity into Pocomoke City.
Tremblay said the decision is not expected to create an immediate wave of similar requests. She said only three dispensaries are allowed in Worcester County at this time, and she is not aware of additional dispensary licenses being scheduled for the county.
If another dispensary proposal comes forward in the future, Tremblay said the city would again measure the separation distance from property line to property line.
For now, city officials say the proposal remains far from opening. The zoning waiver clears one requirement, but the applicant still needs to complete the city’s site plan, review and permitting process.
