As someone who works in cannabis planning, this is going to court if the dispensary's lawyer is worth anything.

2 reasons cited for denial: offensive sign imagery and proximity to a church.

The applicant clarified the images were illustrative and not proposed, and that no such illicit images would be used.

The city has the ability to include a buffer from sensitive uses (e.g. churches) for cannabis uses. The fact that this was at the Planning Board and not the Zoning Board indicates that there is no buffer / they comply with it.

Therefore, the cited reasons for denial are not based in variances from the zoning code, so there is no basis for the denial.