AUSTINTOWN — Location options for a marijuana dispensary in Austintown will be strictly limited.

Township trustees Thursday unanimously approved a resolution amending the township’s zoning ordinance, keeping marijuana sales contained along the state Route 46 corridor near Interstate 80.

At their regular meeting June 3, trustees voted to allow a recreational marijuana dispensary in the township but capped it at one.

That came less than a month after trustees Robert Santos and Bruce Shepas voted 2-0 to impose a moratorium on dispensaries.

Zoning Inspector Darren Crivelli said the resolution Thursday provides clarity for anyone applying for a state permit to open a dispensary in the township.

“This is a low-density area for residential housing,” Crivelli said. “This same area was designated more than 20 years ago for sexually-oriented businesses, for the same reason.”

Crivelli said that while there are some residentially zoned areas — along Lou Ida Boulevard, Liberty Street and County Line Road — the area is the best option for businesses that the township prefers to keep separated from its neighborhoods.

“If the priority is to keep it away from our residential community, this is the area where we can do that,” he said.

The corridor extends from County Line Road south to just below Ashley Circle and spans approximately 4,000 feet in either direction from the I-80 overpass.

Areas zoned for business and industrial, where a marijuana dispensary will be permitted to operate, also include Patriot Boulevard, Cerni Place, Clarkins Drive, 76 Drive, Hollywood Drive and the portion of Silica Road between 46 and Ohltown Road.

Such a business also may not open within 500 feet of religious establishments, schools, parks or family-oriented businesses.

State law also prohibits townships from permitting more than one dispensary within a mile of another.

So, although trustees have the discretion to allow more in the township if they choose, limiting marijuana sales to a small area effectively precludes that possibility.

All three trustees have backgrounds in law enforcement and said they are not necessarily pleased about a dispensary opening up in Austintown.

“We all were really conflicted,” Santos said.

“But it’s a luxury we don’t have as elected officials. The people spoke and it is our duty to ensure the will of the people is carried out.”

At the time Santos and Shepas voted on the moratorium, they said they needed more clarity on the state government’s intentions. Both trustees said there was a possibility that Gov. Mike DeWine or the legislature might remove a provision to share 36% of marijuana sales taxes with local governments.

With that provision in place, though, trustees say the decision is a financially sound one for Austintown. Santos said estimates of potential revenue for townships are based on sales trends from dispensaries operating across the country.

In addition to the standard sales tax rate in Ohio, the state has placed an additional 10% on marijuana sales, part of which will be used for drug treatment services, and some of which will benefit the local communities where dispensaries are located.

Assuming a dispensary does $20 million in annual sales, the township could see $720,000 in tax benefits, Santos said. He said trustees expect to see at least $200,000 a year, should a dispensary open up.

“We’re doing this because of the revenue it will bring to the township, but my concern is the character of our town,” Trustee Monica Deavers said. “If I were just following my heart, I would have said no. But I’m going with my mind, and this will help our township.”

Shepas said that, as an example, the township’s parks department has not had a levy since 1986, and the money could be used to potentially triple the parks budget.