Grand Avenue could soon be the location of a new marijuana dispensary if the Glenwood Springs City Council approves a special use permit today.

City Council is slated to review Kind Castle’s special use application during the council’s regular session at 6:15 p.m., today, via Zoom conferencing.

The applicant requested a permit to remodel a 738-square-foot retail space in a commercial strip at 2114 Grand Ave. 

The Glenwood Springs Planning and Zoning Commission previously voted unanimously to recommend City Council deny the permit, in part because the permit proposal is not in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan’s goals to attract diverse businesses, city documents state. 

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“The location of marijuana dispensaries and their overall number has been an issue in the past for citizens,” Mayor Jonathan Godes said. “I will be interested to see if the neighbors or the citizens feel this is an appropriate use for the location.”

Because the purpose of the permit’s role on the agenda is quasi-judicial, Godes said he couldn’t comment any further on the content of the subject.

The council could also approve a bid of about $110,000 for reels of electrical cable to replace overhead power lines with buried lines throughout town.

Overhead power lines can be a community safety concern during snow and wind events, which occasionally topple the lines causing power shortages, Godes said.

“Anytime we can remove overhead power lines and bury them is a good thing,” he explained. “We’re not doing this for aesthetics, but there is a beautification benefit to this project.”

Another agenda item taking the council’s discussion below ground is a resolution to adopt a fats, oils and grease (FOG) policy to reduce the number of buildup clogs in the city’s wastewater system.

The idea behind the resolution, Godes said, is to decrease the amount of lard byproducts private businesses are flushing down the drain, which then congeal and clog city drain pipes.

“People might not think it, but there is a real impact to dumping oil down the sink,” the mayor explained. “We’re spending tens of thousands dollars a year cleaning pipes alone. There’s a lot of businesses that are doing the right things, but this helps standardize the process across the board.”

Above ground, the council is slated to review progress on a traffic survey, dubbed the Multimodal Options for a Vibrant Economy or MOVE.

“This is an update that the community should tune into if they can,” Godes said. “It’s about how to reduce congestion on Grand Avenue, downtown parking and last-mile transportation among other important topics.”

The City Council regular meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. and can be attended via by visiting the link provided on the council’s calendar at http://www.cogs.us/calendar.aspx or viewed on YouTube Live by visiting the city’s YouTube channel.