Susan Miller, director of land development services at the Indian Nations Council of Governments, proposed the zoning changes to the city earlier this month.

“We have learned there are impacts of processing and growing operations if they’re too close to residential areas,” Miller said. She recently visited cannabis facilities in Phoenix, a visit that further cemented her belief that the proposed zoning changes are necessary, she said.

Miller said Wednesday that the proposed 90-day moratorium is to allow time for the city’s proposed land-use regulations to be thoroughly discussed and adopted.

The move would actually do businesses a favor, Miller said, by preventing them from investing in property that could become nonconforming under updated zoning rules.

Nonconforming properties can continue to operate, but would be restricted from expanding or making any changes under city ordinance.

“We don’t want businesses to get in a bad situation and we don’t want them to get adjacent properties in a bad situation,” she said.

Durbin thinks the moratorium is already way too late to help any business owners.