Over a year after greenlighting cannabis sales in Fontana, the city is preparing to grant the first of three operational permits and has approved a development agreement for Embarc, a chain of neighborhood-style cannabis shops.
In July 2022, the City Council approved retail cannabis sales in Fontana, limiting the number of retailers to three: one north of Baseline Avenue, a second between Baseline and Valley Boulevard, and the third south of Valley.
Embarc is the first to receive a development agreement and likely will receive the first of Fontana’s three operational permits, Monique Carter, a city spokesperson, said in a Jan. 26 email.
The agreement allows the retailer to make minor interior and exterior improvements at the location, 9132 Sierra Ave. The development permit is conditional, based on whether the retailer receives another permit to begin operations.
Under the agreement:
- The retailer will have an initial three-year contract with the option of two, two-year extensions
- City officials estimate the retailer will pay $700,000 in fees associated with the development.
- The retailer is subject to state laws regarding the sale of cannabis and additional rules implemented by the city. The business cannot operate within 600 feet of a school, it must control cannabis odor off-site, and can only sell to those over age 21.
- The retailer must give priority to hiring Fontana residents for open positions and must use local contractors during the renovation process.
The council granted the permit in a 4-1 vote on Jan. 23 with Councilmember Jesse Sandoval voting no. Sandoval said he did not have all of the facts and was unable to make a vote, raising concerns about the development’s impacts on Fontana Unified Methodist Church. The church is located on the corner of Sierra Avenue and Athol Street, next to the proposed cannabis retailer.
“I mean, why are we putting a dispensary right next to a church?” Sandoval said. “And staff said they weren’t sure whether the church was going to continue or wasn’t going to continue being a church.”
There is no timeline for the retailer to open, Carter said.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that the city issued a development agreement.
