Five things to know about Atlantic City’s new cannabis ‘Green Zone’

ATLANTIC CITY — Left out of the initial wave of recreational cannabis, this casino town by the ocean has established a “Green Zone,” to attract cannabis business to its under-performing business district. It passed a planning board, the state’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and, Wednesday night, the full City Council.

Here’s what to know:

The zone includes Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Avenue from Boston to Maryland Avenue, plus the Orange Loop District, an area of bars, restaurants and music that runs from Tennessee and New York Avenue from Pacific to 200 feet from the Boardwalk.

The area along Atlantic and Pacific Avenues was once a thriving business district in Atlantic City with department stores and shops, but more recently, its restaurants and shops have had to co-exist with illegal drug sales, people who are homeless, and those with addictions.

Recent police crackdowns have yielded numerous arrests for illegal drug sales and weapons offenses along stretches of this area, and one of the plan’s goals is to “reduce the underground marketplace,” for cannabis.

City planners hope the new zone will create the incentives for private investment and tourism through recreational and legal cannabis along these main commercial and tourism corridors, which are walkable from the casinos and Boardwalk. Permitted uses include cultivation, manufacturing, wholesaling, distribution, retail and delivery.

At an earlier meeting of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, a representative of Resorts Casino said the industry was hoping to delay the approval for additional review, citing concerns from the Casino Association with crime, traffic and other legal issues.

The authority, which is a state agency that oversees zoning issues in the city’s tourism zone, moved ahead with its vote anyway on the plan, which was drafted by Jim Rutella, a well-known planner and consultant for numerous governments in South Jersey. One of its goals is to diversify the city’s economy and retail options beyond casinos, fill vacant shops, and increase pedestrian traffic, “with collateral reduction in crime.”

It hopes the recreational cannabis industry will “recapture disposable income, sales and property taxes, development fees and employment opportunities for local residents.”

» READ MORE: What to know about buying legal weed in N.J. if you live in Pa.

While recreational cannabis shops opened in other towns in New Jersey, including nearby Egg Harbor Township, Atlantic City was left out of the initial cannabis wave because City Council voted to ban any recreational cannabis on the Boardwalk. That left a prominent medical shop, the Botanist, located at South Carolina and the Boardwalk, unable to transition into recreational sales.

But others seem ready to go now that City Council has smoothed the process with the green zone, requiring only site approval and not zoning variances. It earlier approved an application for a shop behind Boardwalk Hall on Pacific Avenue, and a handful of other applications have been submitted.

Look for coming recreational shops to open on New York Avenue, part of the popular Orange Loop district, which is now home to Bourre, Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall and other bars and restaurants. This weekend, it will host a one-day music festival, Frantic City.

Planners are hoping the new investment will “improve and preserve” the aesthetic quality of the city. “All cannabis businesses must present a modern, modest and creative appearance,” using a “muted color scheme,” to accentuate architectural details and storefront elements. Businesses owners are encouraged to use at least three colors but no more than five, and neon or reflective colors is prohibited aside from certain allowable signage.

The plan requires decorative lighting features, and fluorescent tubing is prohibited. Windows are required to be at least 70% transparent, and dark or tinted glass in storefronts must be replaced with clear glass. Awnings are encouraged. The design and security requirements fill more than five pages of the plan.

City leaders are bullish on marijuana. Mayor Marty Small Sr. appointed a key adviser, Kash McKinley, as the city’s cannabis czar. McKinley has been saying for months that Atlantic City was poised to be the East Coast’s top cannabis destination.

That boast was put to the test in April, when the city was left out of the initial opening of recreational marijuana facilities, which drew long lines elsewhere in the state. With the green zone, that vision seems possible. At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, an owner of properties in the Orange Loop predicted that recreational sales would “bring people from all over.” The zone passed 7-1, with only Councilman Aaron Randolph voting no, and takes effect immediately.