Fair Oaks Ranch Proposes 500-Foot Buffer for Hemp, Kratom Shops

The same two-district rule and 500-foot buffer would apply to kratom retailers. Both provisions include an exception for stores where hemp or kratom products occupy no more than 20% of the gross display area.

Staff reported that the city’s existing hemp shop does not meet the proposed conditions. It could remain as a legal nonconforming use if the amendments are adopted; the packet says the business location received notice before the public hearing.

The Package Extends Beyond Retail

The amendments would require a special-use permit for data centers in the Logistics district, allow manufactured homes by right in the Rural Residential district and reduce political signs at public polling sites from a maximum of 36 square feet to four square feet.

The package also revises outdoor-lighting rules. Among the proposed changes, recreational lighting would shut off at 10 p.m. instead of 11 p.m., and motion-sensor lights would remain on for five minutes rather than 10.

Planning commissioners reviewed the code changes in a July workshop. Thursday’s hearing is the next step, not final adoption.

The City Council is scheduled to hold its own public hearing and consider the first ordinance reading Sept. 3. A second reading is planned for Sept. 17.