Plans are still in the works to open a medical marijuana dispensary here.

The Board of Adjustment will hear a variance request April 16 from the firm that wants to open the facility on Enterprise Drive.

The applicant is requesting variances to the town Zoning Ordinance regulations that apply only to dispensaries.

Specifically, the ordinance restricts hours of operation between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The request is to allow operating hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The applicant states that this request is to allow patients with full-time traditional daytime jobs to access the medicines outside of their working hours.

The Zoning Ordinance prohibits the sale or consumption of food items on the premises.

The applicant is asking to serve patients water and coffee while they are waiting. They are also asking to sell edible marijuana items.

The applicant is stating that all edible marijuana items will be sold in a frozen form, and buyers will be directed not to consume the items until they are home or at another private location.

They also state that the frozen items need to be thawed before consumption.

The third variance applies to outdoor seating, which is prohibited for dispensaries.

In this case they are not asking for outdoor seating, but to allow an existing area to remain. This area serves employees and clients of other tenants in the commercial complex.

The applicant said he would post a sign in this seating area indicating the consumption of marijuana items is prohibited to deter dispensary patients from using the seating.

Variance number four asks that an ATM be permitted on the dispensary site permanently.

The Zoning Ordinance requires that no more than $200 in cash be on the premises overnight. The applicant states they will comply with that requirement, other than cash in the ATM.

The Board of Adjustment meets at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at Town Hall, and the meeting is open to the public.

Nature’s AZ Medicines, Inc. is the Fountain Hills dispensary operator, and Scottsdale resident Mark Steinmetz is the president and CEO.

On Feb. 21, the town issued Nature’s AZ Medicines a building permit for a tenant improvement on two units of a commercial plaza near the corner of Colony and Enterprise drives.

Steinmetz indicates in his variance request that he will comply with all other requirements of the town Zoning Ordinance for the medical marijuana dispensaries. This includes increased security measures and lighting.

There is no indication when the site may be open for patients. Only employees and individuals with an Arizona medical marijuana card will be permitted inside the premises after it does open.