Cortez Will Consider Marijuana Grow Operations in Industrial Park

The Cortez City Council said Tuesday it wants more information before considering a proposal to allow marijuana grow operations in the city’s industrial park. Cortez business owner Mark Rodgers said he manages three buildings in the park with a total of about 20,000 square feet that could be utilized for such a venture. He urged the council to “look to the potential for job creation”, saying growers tell him if all his space were used it could generate 50 to 75 jobs paying $15 an hour or more. Rodgers said he doesn’t believe cannabis should be legal in Colorado, but since it is, the industrial park is a logical location for a grow facility. City Manager Shane Hale said although the city allows marijuana sales and cultivation, he has several concerns about the idea, including the need for increased police patrols of grow sites. Hale also said the proposal would require changing the city code to allow a new use in the industrial park and to alter the current requirement that cannabis businesses be at least 1500 feet apart. And if that is done, he said, it would open the door for a flood of new marijuana proposals citywide. Council members said they wanted more information from the police department and city staff before deciding whether to move forward.