In a significant ruling, a Circuit Court Judge has mandated the Town of Princess Anne to grant permission for a cannabis dispensary, which will be the first of its kind in Somerset County.
On Friday, February 28, Judge W. Newton Jackson III issued a court order instructing the town to approve Kindequity LLC’s application for services, as well as to sign and issue a building permit and zoning certificate, allowing construction of the cannabis dispensary to commence.Kindequity obtained a conditional license to operate the dispensary on July 11, 2024, and subsequently submitted a request for Princess Anne’s approval to start building on Mt. Vernon Road on December 3, 2024.
On February 3, officials in Princess Anne enacted an ordinance to impose zoning regulations on potential cannabis dispensaries, which necessitated special exception use approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals for operations. In his recent order, Judge Jackson contended that this ordinance was in violation of Maryland law and instructed Princess Anne to grant approval for the dispensary.
In his ruling from Friday, Judge Jackson allocated Princess Anne three business days to approve the dispensary. The town subsequently issued the necessary permit on Tuesday, March 4. The dispensary is situated at the site of the former Peaky’s Restaurant.
