Town Planning Commission Continues to Prepare for the Arrival of Cannabis on the Local Market

While Front Royal cannot prohibit the arrival of cannabis on the local market, it can, in the interest of public health, safety, and welfare, regulate where and how the arrival happens.  This means drafting the strongest ordinance possible in response to a budget bill that the state passed in June that included an allowance for adult-use cannabis retail and set up a timeframe for the receiving of license applications by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, beginning February 1, 2027, and the first wave of licenses possibly being granted starting May 1, with open business commencing on July 1.

The Town Planning Commission met for a work session on October 7. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh

At an October 7 work session, the Town Planning Commission assessed what is nearly a finished product, making a few adjustments to the ordinance in preparation for their review at another work session on October 21, which will be held at Town Hall at 6 p.m. in lieu of a regular meeting, for lack of public hearings. This sets up a November public hearing on the cannabis ordinance, putting it before the council as quickly as possible to stay ahead of February 1.

Although no formal determination was made by the Town Council, the commission has received guidance from the council, whose October 5 work session revealed a consensus to require a special-use permit in all cases featuring any cannabis establishment. That had been the commissioners’ question: how strictly should this be regulated? A by-right process would certainly be more permissive. However, an SUP process, although it risks arbitrary decision-making with legal consequences, keeps the council involved in the development, so it can keep equally arbitrary development in check.

Within that SUP framework, performance standards vary widely and are not limited to buffering between cannabis retail and protected locations. As the discussion on October 7 advanced, it became clear that the ordinance may already be equipped with the rules the commissioners need to become more specific about requirements like those applying to outdoor storage. Where preemption exists, Town Attorney George Sonnett explained, whether in state code or in Town code itself, the commissioners’ job is simplified.

After reviewing recent state bills that also require ordinance amendments, particularly one concerning the temporary establishment of wireless structures, the commissioners adjourned.

Watch the Front Royal Planning Commission Meeting of October 7, 2026.