The city of Aurora has received 40 to 50 applications from people interested in opening recreational marijuana businesses in the city.
Aurora officials will have the final tally of applicants by about noon Friday. Thursday at 5 p.m. was the deadline to file an application.
Jason Batchelor, finance director for the city, said most of the applications are for retail sales but also include other areas such as cultivation, testing and manufacturing.
“The majority of those are in retail,” Batchelor said.
The city has capped the number of retail pot shops in Aurora to 24 — four in each City Council ward. But it left open the ability to expand that number by future City Councils.
The city next will ranking the applicants with a point system, which includes having $400,000 cash in hand or assets in that amount.
The first retail pot shop in Aurora can open on Oct. 1.
Because the city does not have medical marijuana stores, Aurora had to wait until October to allow sales of recreational marijuana in the city.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175, cillescas@denverpost.com or twitter.com/cillescasdp
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