Virginia Beach Commission Recommends Banning Cannabis Shops in Key Areas

According to a report by The Virginian-Pilot, proposed changes to the city’s zoning laws—which are soon heading to the City Council for a vote—will prohibit retail marijuana shops at Virginia Beach Oceanfront or in Town Center.

The Planning Commission recommended approval of the amendments on Thursday in a 9-1 vote as cities across Hampton Roads prepare for the retail cannabis market set to launch July 1, following legislation approved this year by the General Assembly. Commissioner Bryan Plumlee, who represents District 6, was the lone no vote because he wanted more specific information about where shops and testing facilities could be located and more restrictions.

“I think we need to be cautious,” Plumlee told The Virginian-Pilot.

The draft zoning updates state that retail cannabis shops will be barred within the Oceanfront Resort District, spanning north from Rudee Inlet to Laskin Road and westward to Birdneck Road in the central beach area.

Industrial and the majority of business districts will permit stores, provided they secure a conditional use permit that has received City Council clearance. Furthermore, Town Center bans all land and delivery activities unless an alternative compliance special exception granted by the City Council is obtained.

The state has already established guidelines surrounding the new market, including a cap of 350 retail licenses statewide, and prohibiting licensed stores from selling alcohol or tobacco, or operating within 1,000 feet of a hospital, university or child day program. The Cannabis Control Authority will begin accepting applications on Feb. 1, 2027.

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Months of collecting input from the city’s cannabis advisory task force, panels appointed by the City Council, and a public survey preceded city planning staff drafting these regulations covering cultivation, processing, retail, microbusiness, transportation, delivery, and testing. Going against planning staff’s suggestion to permit agricultural and industrial cultivation by right, planning commissioners instead advised mandating a conditional use permit for all cannabis land and delivery operations across the city.

Following a proposal by District 1 commissioner Walter Camp, the commissioners also agreed to ban marijuana delivery services in Historic Kempsville, noting the activity clashes with this compact neighborhood centered around the Princess Anne Road and Kempsville Road junction. Stores and other uses would also not be allowed there.

The hours of operation for retail stores would be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, hours supported by nearly half of the survey respondents according to the city. Retail cannabis shops, drive-throughs included, are barred from operating within a 1,000-foot buffer zone of hospitals, public or private schools, higher education institutions, commercial daycares, or competing dispensaries.

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Prior to operation, every cannabis-related enterprise must submit a comprehensive security plan for the police department to evaluate and authorize. Outdoor signage on any cannabis store property is prohibited from featuring marijuana graphics, depicting cannabis consumption, or drawing excessive attention to the location.

Cultivation facilities must be licensed by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, and outdoor cultivation would not be permitted in industrial districts. To control and minimize cannabis odors, indoor facilities dedicated to cultivation, processing, and retail must incorporate specialized ventilation systems.

The city plans to implement the maximum tax rate available to localities, which is 3.5%, on top of the 6% tax the state will receive, alongside the standard sales tax. The decision will require a separate vote by council.

Last month’s public feedback survey on cannabis zoning gathered 1,174 submissions, with Virginia Beach residents accounting for 86% of those participants. Among the survey findings, the top consideration for retail zoning was separation from sensitive areas such as schools, childcare facilities, and parks with 884 responses, and the most popular option on retail separation was a 1,000-foot minimum distance with 511 responses. Nearly half of respondents at 49.9% supported the currently proposed hours.