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(A) The city manager or his or her designee shall adopt the procedures to govern the application process, and the manner in which the decision will ultimately be made regarding the issuance of any commercial cannabis business permit(s), which shall include or require the city manager to provide detailed objective review criteria to be evaluated on a point system or equivalent quantitative evaluation scale tied to each set of review criteria ("review criteria"). The city manager or his or her designee(s) shall be authorized to prepare the necessary forms, adopt any necessary rules to the application, regulations and processes, solicit applications, and conduct initial evaluations of the applicants.
(B) At the time of filing, each applicant shall pay an application fee established by resolution of the city council, to cover all costs incurred by the city in the application process.
(C) After the initial review, ranking, and scoring under the review criteria, the city manager or his or her designee(s) will make a final determination in accordance with this section and shall either deny or approve the final candidates and shall select the top candidates in each category of the commercial cannabis businesses. Notwithstanding anything in this article to the contrary, the city manager's decision as to the selection of the prevailing candidates shall be final and shall not be subject to appeal.
(D) Official issuance of the commercial cannabis business permit(s) is conditioned upon the prevailing candidate(s) obtaining all required land use approvals and completing to the city's satisfaction all conditions of approval required for the site to be issued a certificate of occupancy and commercial cannabis business permit. Following the city manager's selection of the person who shall be issued a commercial cannabis business permit, the prevailing candidate(s) shall apply to the city's community development department to obtain required land use approvals or entitlements pursuant to Section 16-163. A special use permit (SUP) or a development design review (DDR) permit shall be required prior to the issuance of building permits. The SUP and DDR shall expire one year after issuance if the applicant has not diligently pursued obtaining the necessary building permits and complying with the conditions of approval needed for the business to open at the approved location. The permittee's location and use approvals shall include compliance with all applicable provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act. The community development director shall formally issue the commercial cannabis business permit(s) once the community development director or his or her designee(s) affirms that all of the required land use approvals have been obtained and all required conditions of approval have been complied with.
(E) Issuance of a commercial cannabis business permit does not create a land use entitlement. The commercial cannabis business permit shall only be for a term of 12 months and shall expire at the end of the 12-month period unless it is renewed as provided herein. Furthermore, no permittee may begin operations, notwithstanding the issuance of a commercial cannabis business permit, unless all of the State and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to the requirements of this article and of the permit, have been complied with.
(F) Notwithstanding anything in this article to the contrary, the city manager reserves the right to reject any or all applications if the city manager determines it would be in the best interest of the city, taking into account any health, safety and welfare impacts on the community. Applicants shall have no right to a commercial cannabis business permit until a permit is actually issued, and then only for the duration of the permit's term. Each applicant assumes the risk that, at any time prior to the issuance of a permit, the city council may terminate or delay the program created under this article.
(G) If an application is denied, a new application may not be filed for one year from the date of the denial.
(H) Each person granted a commercial cannabis business permit shall be required to pay the permit fee established by resolution of the city council, to cover the costs of administering the commercial cannabis business permit program created in this article.
(I) Preservation of rights. The city reserves the right to reject any or all applications. Prior to permit issuance by the city council, the city may also modify, postpone, or cancel any request for applications, or the entire program under this article, at any time without liability, obligation, or commitment to any party, firm, or organization, to the extent permitted under State law. Persons submitting applications assume the risk that all or any part of the program, or any particular category of permit potentially authorized under this article, may be canceled at any time prior to permit issuance. The city further reserves the right to request and obtain additional information from any candidate submitting an application. In addition to possible rejection for failure to comply with other requirements in this article, an applicant also risks being rejected for any of the following reasons:
(1) Proposal received after designated time and date.
(2) Proposal not containing the required elements, exhibits, nor organized in the required format.
(3) Proposal considered not fully responsive to the request for permit application.
(Ord. No. 2960, 2994, 3032)
Any person who has been issued any of the following actions or notices for non-compliance, shall be prohibited from holding a commercial cannabis business permit in the city, with such actions or notices also grounds for denial of a commercial cannabis business permit:
(A) The applicant has been denied a license or has had a license suspended or revoked by any city, county, city and county or any other State cannabis licensing authority;
(B) The applicant was notified that they were conducting commercial cannabis activity in non-compliance with this chapter 11 or other City of Oxnard ordinances, codes or requirements in which they failed to discontinue operating in a timely manner;
(C) Evidence that the applicant was in non-compliance of properly paying federal, State or local taxes and/or fees when notified by the appropriate agencies;
(D) The applicant was conducting commercial cannabis activity in the city in violation of local and State law.
(Ord. No. 2960, 2994, 3032)
Each commercial cannabis business permit issued pursuant to this article shall expire 12 months after the date of its issuance. Commercial cannabis business permits may be renewed as provided in section 11-461.
(Ord. No. 2960, 2994, 3032)
(A) An application for renewal of a commercial cannabis business permit shall be filed at least 60 calendar days prior to the expiration date of the current permit.
(B) The renewal application shall contain the current owner and employee information, copy of the owner's State license, the city business tax certificate, and such other information as required by the city.
(C) The applicant shall pay a regulatory compliance fee in an amount set by city council resolution. The regulatory compliance fee shall not exceed the reasonable cost incurred by the city to administer the program created by this article. The applicant shall pay this annual fee, at the time of renewal, on a yearly basis.
(D) An application for renewal of a commercial cannabis business permit may be rejected if any of the following exists:
(1) The application is filed less than 60 days before its expiration.
(2) The commercial cannabis business permit is suspended or revoked at the time of the application.
(3) The commercial cannabis business has not been in regular and continuous operation in the four months prior to the renewal application.
(4) The commercial cannabis business has failed to conform to the requirements of this article, or of any regulations adopted pursuant to this article.
(5) The permittee fails or is unable to renew its State of California license.
(6) If the city or State has determined, based on substantial evidence, that the permittee or applicant is in violation of the requirements of this article, of the city ordinance, or of the State rules and regulations, and the city or State has determined that the violation is grounds for termination or revocation of the commercial cannabis business permit.
(E) The city manager or his or her designee(s) is authorized to make all decisions concerning the issuance of a renewal permit. In making the decision, the city manager or his or her designee(s) is authorized to impose additional conditions to a renewal permit, if it is determined to be necessary to ensure compliance with State or local laws and regulations or to preserve the public health, safety or welfare. Appeals from the decision of the city manager or his or her designee(s) shall be handled pursuant to Sections 11-464 to 11-465.
(F) If a renewal application is rejected, a person may file a new application pursuant to this article no sooner than one year from the date of the rejection.
(Ord. No. 2960, 2994, 3032)
Suspension of a license issued by the State, or by any of its departments or divisions, shall immediately suspend the ability of a commercial cannabis business to operate within the city, until the State, or its respective department or division, reinstates or reissues the State license. Should the State, or any of its departments or divisions, revoke or terminate the license of a commercial cannabis business, such revocation or termination shall also revoke or terminate the ability of a commercial cannabis business to operate within the City of Oxnard.
(Ord. No. 2960, 2994, 3032)
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