Caroline County planning staff and commissioners discussed an emergency zoning amendment on March 4 to add rules for state‑licensed cannabis facilities — dispensaries, growers and processors — and to set local setbacks consistent with state limitations.

Planner Crystal (last name not recorded in the public transcript) described the draft attachments to the Caroline County Table of Use Regulations. Dispensaries would be regulated like small- and large-scale retail under existing commercial categories; state law limits local setbacks for dispensaries to 500 feet from schools, child‑care centers, playgrounds, recreational centers, libraries, public parks and churches and requires a minimum separation of 1,000 feet between dispensaries in some state language. The county’s draft adopts those state setback standards for dispensaries.

For growers and processors the draft proposes allowing those uses in the I‑2 Industrial District with supplementary regulations that include a 1,200‑foot buffer from schools, religious facilities, public or nonprofit parks, playgrounds, civic centers, libraries and registered day‑care facilities, and a 600‑foot buffer from residential zoning districts. Crystal said the 1,200‑foot and 600‑foot buffers are the local limits available under state code for those classifications.

Commissioners asked staff to prepare a visual map that color‑codes potential allowable areas and setback buffers to help applicants and the public visualize where each classification could operate. Staff said they would work with GIS staff (Megan) to produce the map for a future workshop.

Staff also noted that processing of an application would consider only facilities and uses that existed at the time an application was filed; subsequent establishment of a school, church or park would not defeat an already‑filed application. Commissioners and staff discussed permitting pathways: dispensaries above 3,000 square feet would be permitted in C‑1 and C‑2 commercial districts by site plan (C‑2) or special‑use exception (C‑1), and appeals would go to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Crystal said one state dispensary had been issued for the region and was located in the town of Federalsburg (referred to as "Fettlesburg" in the transcript).

No formal ordinance vote was taken at the workshop; staff will draft a map and return with a visual overlay and the suggested ordinance text for formal introduction.