Colorado Chronic Retail Cultivation Permit

At a glance

• What: Conditional use (CUDP-25-0009) allowing a Retail Marijuana Cultivation Facility in the MX-M zone at 2926 Wood Avenue, so that Colorado Chronic, a long-standing medical grow in a small commercial center south of Fillmore and Wood, can add a retail cultivation license.
• Outcome: Approved 9-0 by the City Planning Commission on May 13, 2026, with two conditions.
• Key point: No physical expansion, additional employees or increased plant count.

Detail

• William Gray, Senior Planner, said parking lot encroachments into the Wood Avenue right-of-way require a revocable permit or restriping within 90 days of approval. Advance public comments opposed it (odor, lighting, compatibility with nearby medical offices, safety, traffic, proximity to the North Nevada overlay); no one spoke at the hearing. Staff found the conditional use criteria met.
• Applicant Austin Edmondson described a boutique 500-plant operation with two employees, odor mitigation and ventilation, and zero citations.
• Cecil asked why the encroachment condition applied to the applicant rather than the owner; Gray said the encroachment predates both but is triggered by the land use action. Slattery asked whether it would normally be a consent item (yes, if uncontroversial). Trevor Gloss (City Attorney's Office) said the conditional use runs with the business in its tenant space and an expansion would need a major modification and possibly a new conditional use. Robbins asked about odor; the applicant said none would be added and air is not exhausted directly to the neighborhood.
• Commissioners Engel, Case and Willoughby spoke in favor; Slattery supported it while uneasy about the condition.

Votes

• May 13, 2026: moved by Commissioner Willoughby, seconded by Commissioner Robbins, to approve under City Code section 7.5.601.C.2 with conditions: (1) a revocable permit for the parking lot encroachment, or restriping to eliminate it, within 90 days; (2) a note on the Land Use Statement that no changes to building utility requirements are proposed. Passed 9-0 (Hensler, Cecil, Slattery, Robbins, Clements, Gigiano, Willoughby, Case, Engel).

Sources

• City Planning Commission minutes, May 13, 2026: https://legistar2.granicus.com/coloradosprings/meetings/2026/5/2753_M_City_Planning_Commission_26-05-13_Meeting_Minutes.pdf (item 9.A; attachments: staff report, maps, public comment, conditional use and land use statements, floor plan).

Log

2026-05-13 - City Planning Commission

Item 9.A. Staff and applicant presented, no public comment at the hearing, short Commission discussion; approved 9-0 with two conditions.

2026-05-07 - City Planning Commission Work Session

Previewed under New Business. William Gray said the grow has operated since 2012 and the request adds retail cultivation with no expansion of footprint, plant count or staffing; the parking-lot encroachment into the right-of-way must be corrected or permitted; public comments raised odor, lighting and compatibility. Commissioners clarified the use is cultivation, not retail sales, and approval would apply only to the applicant's leased unit.