Powell City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 1 to extend the city's moratorium on marijuana dispensaries through Dec. 31, 2027.

The extension, Resolution 2026-47, keeps dispensaries out of Powell while staff and the planning commission develop zoning regulations, Delaware Source reported. The moratorium could end sooner if council approves a new zoning framework before that deadline.

City Manager Andy White wrote in a memo to council that the extension gives planning staff time to develop an appropriate regulatory framework. At the meeting, White said staff feels comfortable with the timeline and has "ample time to present options."

Powell first imposed a dispensary moratorium in 2024, after Ohio voters legalized adult-use marijuana through State Issue 2. This is the fourth time council has extended the ban.

In July 2026, members approved a third extension through Dec. 31, 2026. Then on Sept 1, council voted 4-3 to strip an outright dispensary ban from the city's new zoning code after residents pushed back, Delaware Source reported.

Zoning options take shape

The same day, the Development Committee got its first look at a potential regulatory framework. Planning Administrator Claudia Husak and Planning Director Logan Stang presented a survey of eight Ohio cities that already regulate dispensaries.

Some of those cities require setback distances from schools, churches and parks greater than the state-mandated 500 feet. Others cap the number of dispensaries, restrict operating hours or limit which zones allow them.

Husak proposed that Powell's commercial zones, flex-industrial zones and downtown-mixed zones could be candidates for dispensary locations. She asked the committee to weigh whether dispensaries should be allowed by right or by conditional use.

By right means a proposal moves forward if it meets zoning and building codes. Conditional use gives the city authority to impose stricter requirements through a case-by-case review.

Councilman Tyler Herrmann, who sits on the Development Committee, said he favors conditional use if he votes to allow dispensaries at all.

Survey idea splits council

Herrmann also pushed for a community survey before any final decision. He said he would not oppose a complete ban if that is what Powell residents want, and argued that voting to legalize marijuana statewide is not the same as wanting a dispensary in your city.

Committee members Shaun Simpson and Carlos Crawford disagreed with Herrmann's openness to a ban. Simpson questioned why the city would reject a revenue source.

Each dispensary generates roughly $175,000 a year for its host community through Ohio's Host Community Cannabis Fund, according to a fiscal year 2025 estimate from the Ohio State University Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. The fund distributes 36% of the state's 10% adult-use excise tax to municipalities that allow dispensary locations.

During the full council meeting, Vice Mayor Tom Counts pushed back on the survey idea. He said elected officials, not surveys, should decide the issue.

"We're here because we're the ones that are taking the information and trying to come up with what we think is a reasonable answer for this particular community," Counts said.

Councilman David Lester agreed.

No date has been set for the next Development Committee discussion on dispensary zoning. The moratorium runs through Dec. 31, 2027, unless council acts sooner.