The Boulder County Commissioners this week approved lifting the ceiling on the average daily trips allowed on the Star Buds marijuana dispensary west of Longmont at the corner of 75th Avenue and Colo. 66.
The business opened in 2013 and has seen a steady rise in customer traffic. The increase prompted the owners to ask that the current limit of 250 average daily trips at the business be increased to 400 average daily trips on the 0.68-acre parcel, said county planner Summer Frederick.
“We just wanted to account for our natural customer growth,” said Mike Foote, who represented Star Buds property owner Judy Smentana at Thursday’s public hearing.
Commissioners Matt Jones and Claire Levy voted 2-1 to grant the increase in allowed traffic after adding to a list of conditions for Star Buds management. They included adding better signage to help customers safely access the business and to add more parking spaces within the next three months.
“I think the 400 (average daily trips) is doable,” Levy said.
Owner representatives also told the commissioners that they could cut hours of operation to make sure the business stays within county rules. “We could be closed on the busiest day of the week, so we don’t trip the 400,” said owner representative Dan Pabon.
Star Buds is likely to grow and 400 average daily trips will have to be modified, Pabon told the commissioners. “This number doesn’t recognize population increases and shifts in consumer behavior,” Pabon said. “Five years from now, this number will probably need to be increased.”
Commissioner Marta Loachamin voted against the approval, saying she wanted average daily trips to be set at a lower number.
Hygiene resident Dan Burkhardt blasted the Star Buds proposal, claiming the business conducted local traffic counts during the COVID-19 shutdown to mislead the commissioners on how much traffic the business will draw.
Burkhardt also said Star Buds is ruining the small-town atmosphere of the community. “People move out here for a wholesome way of life … this is a completely foreign body. It’s fairly new and it is taking over,” Burkhardt said.
“We’ve had this issue crammed down our throats,” he said.
County officials said traffic count studies were conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation and a respected engineering firm. Both indicated Star Buds traffic would not put too much pressure on the local road system, they said.
Foote said Star Buds has worked hard to be good neighbors. “Our desire is to really fit into the community,” he said.
