Sometime in 2024 you may able to by cannabis products in Manteca at locations that are:
*Near the Dairy Queen in the 1100 block of South Main Street.
*Across from Carl’s Jr. and Home Depot along Historical Plaza Way.
*Next door to Valley Oak Dental in the 1500 block of West Yosemite Avenue.
*In the neighborhood of the municipal wastewater treatment plant in the 2300 block of West Yosemite avenue.
Those are the locations for possible future retail pot shops that the four finalists vying for one of three coveted permits to legally sell marijuana from storefronts in Manteca.
Three, two, one, or none of the endeavors may ultimately be granted permits by the Manteca City Council.
The eligible applicants are before the City Council during a public hearing at a special meeting set for Monday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m. at the Civic Center council chambers.
The hearing is a time where members of the public — including owners of adjoining businesses of the proposed locations — can speak out.
The sites are all outside of the “no retail marijuana sale areas” the council set for possible locations for the retail marijuana storefronts
The areas off limits to locating a marijuana store were based on zoning and a minimum 600 feet distance from arcades, amusement centers, emergency shelters, substance abuse rehabilitation centers, libraries, parks, preschools, daycares, private and public schools, places of religious assembly, or youth centers.
A quick recap of the four sites are as follows:
Off the Charts Manteca
This is the application by Off the Charts.
The 2325 West Yosemite Avenue location they have submitted is in a small business park that has been populated over the years by auto care, construction, and other similar businesses.
It is the most highly visible of the four locations from a main arterial given there is nothing between the storefront and Yosemite Avenue other than a parking lot.
It is on the north side of Yosemite Avenue with the municipal wastewater treatment plant is to the southwest and across the street.
Embrac Manteca
Manteca Responsible and Compliant Retail’s entry is in a small retail strip center in the 1100 block of South Main Street across the street from Denny’s as well as Walmart and Safeway. The exact address is 1148 South Main Street.
It is in a building in the back of the property tucked behind Leslie’s Pool Supply and Dairy Queen.
The location currently includes medical related concerns, a pizza place, and a cosmetology supply store.
Nectar Market
The location identified by Nectar Markets of California is at 1519 Yosemite Avenue.
It is the most “hidden” of the four location.
It is in the northwestern most corner of a series of business and professional & medical buildings — including Valley Oak Dental and Central Valley Veterinary Hospital — are located on the northwest corner of Trevino and West Yosemite avenues.
The former occupant of the building was Golden Bear Physical Therapy which has since relocated to the Mission Ridge Shopping Center on South Main Street.
Stiizy Manteca
The proposed Stiizy Manteca location is at 1447 Historical Plaza across from Home Depot and Carl’s Jr. and behind the retail complex that features Chipotle’s, Scores, and Edible Arrangements.
The address currently is for Chuck’s Place.
How Manteca got to
this point with cannabis
The Dec. 18 public hearing on the possible store sites comes almost a year to the day when the council, on a 4-1 vote with David Breitenbucher dissenting, approved going forward with a permit and screening process to allow legal storefront marijuana sales in Manteca.
That followed 11 months of the city researching what had been done in other jurisdictions and putting together rules and a detailed screening process.
A previous council on Dec. 21, 2021 added a provision to the municipal code to allow three permits for legal marijuana sales as allowed by the Medical and Adult use Cannabis Safety Act signed into law on June 27,2017.
The City Council previously adopted Ordinance No. O2021-16 governing the operation the locations of storefront cannabis retail, non-storefront cannabis retail and cannabis delivery. The City Council also approved Ordinance No. O2021-16 that regulates the operation of storefront cannabis retail, non-storefront cannabis retail and cannabis delivery in the City.
Under the fee schedule it costs $10,368 to simply submit an application in a bid to secure one of three permits the City of Manteca with no guarantee of prevailing.
That fee is not a part of a Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) fee the city hammered out with approved applicants before they might actually be issued permits to do business.
Instead the fee covers the staff time and vetting expenses the city incurred in order to process the applicant.
Then, if they are successful, there is a $24,663 annual regulatory fee that will cover city costs incurred with keeping track of how the dispensary operates as well as its sales.
The rest of the fees the council adopted includes a $2,844 appeal process fee and an annual $115 application renewal fee.
Background investigation fees are $300 for the owner/manager with a $100 fee for an annual background investigation. There is a $100 fee per employee to cover background investigations. The annual renewal background investigation fee is $75.
Data indicating the amount of cost, or estimated cost, required to provide the service for which the fee or service charge is levied and the revenue sources anticipated to provide the service is available upon request.
In other words, the fees reflect what expense the city occurs vetting applicants that include how the business will be operated, security, and other measures as well as doing background checks.
The CBA, for all practical purposes, is the “business license.”
The CBA is required of all storefront marijuana dispensaries allowed in Manteca. They would “memorialize” the marijuana business’ commitment to turn over a certain amount of their profits each year to the city.
The city would then use the CBA take “to fund services, positions, and for other purposes that benefit the community.”
That essentially means anything the city wants to use the funds on.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulleltin.com
