Lompoc’s Classical School of Ballet will have a buffer zone protecting it from encroaching marijuana businesses after all, following an agreement struck between the school’s owners and the city’s attorney.
Owner Angela Mill threatened the city with legal action after its council voted 3-2 not to include dance studios as youth centers, eliminating a protective 600-foot to 1,000-foot “buffer zone” that prohibits any cannabis business from operating within those boundaries. The buffer zones created by these youth centers are essentially a bubble in all directions. The April 3 move was greeted with controversy by parents and Mill because it reversed a decision that had granted the buffer zones to dance studios.
On more than one occasion since, Lompoc City Council meeting public comment sections were filled with concerned parents of children speaking about the dangers of allowing pot businesses to operate within the zones. After Mill threatened the city with a lawsuit on June 3, the two parties met and reached an agreement, according to city staff.
A staff report submitted on July 17 said a deal between Lompoc’s attorney, Joe Pannone, and Mill’s representation had been reached allowing the ballet school to have a 1,000- or 600-foot buffer.
The City Council was set to meet after the Sun‘s press time, but several sources familiar with staff and council members’ thinking said they expected the council to ratify the settlement agreement.
This article appears in Jul 19-26, 2018.