Over the several weeks the River North Residents Association (RNRA) has hosted several community meetings to discuss proposed cannabis dispensary locations within the 42nd and 2nd Wards. The following community meetings were held:
- Sunnyside (MedMar Lakeview, LLC) held a meeting on January 28th to discuss their proposed location at 436 North Clark Street (formerly, Baton Show Lounge).
- MOCA – Modern Cannabis (MOCA, LLC) held a meeting on January 29th to discuss their proposed location at 216 West Ohio Street (currently, Municipal Bar).
- Sunnyside (PDI Medical III, LLC) held a meeting on February 5th to discuss their proposed location at 60 West Superior Street – Applicant has removed this location as a candidate for the ZBA to review.
- Verilife (Pharmacann) held a meeting on February 6th to discuss their proposed location at 444 North LaSalle Street (formerly, English).
- Greenhouse Group held a meeting on February 7th to discuss their proposed location at 612 North Wells Street (formerly, Carson’s Ribs).
- Greenhouse Group held a meeting on February 12th to discuss their proposed location at 414 North Orleans Street (formerly, Reverie).
These meetings were held to gather community feedback as a requirement of the Special Use application necessary to open a dispensary in Chicago. The next step in the process is for the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to consider the Special Use applications at a public hearing.
The ZBA hearing will take place on Friday, March 6th, at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle Street – City Council Chambers – 2nd Floor.
RNRA will summarize community feedback and share it with ZBA in advance of the hearing. In addition, any neighborhood resident is welcome to forward feedback to the ZBA regarding these pending applications. Objections can be addressed to the ZBA chairman, Farzin Parang.
Farzin Parang
Chairman, Zoning Board of Appeals
121 N. LaSalle St. 10th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
The Aldermen may choose to offer an opinion on the proposed Special Use to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), but the ZBA ultimately approves or denies Special Use applications based on the criteria in the Chicago Zoning Code. The ZBA is an independent, quasi-judicial body that will consider all public input and is not obligated to give special consideration to comments from the Aldermen or Police Commander.
If the ZBA grants approval of the Special Use permit to any of the proposed dispensary locations, the operators will then build out their space and schedule inspections with the State of Illinois. The first dispensary to pass inspection by the State of Illinois will be issued a license. Once one license has been issued, no other dispensary may open within 1,500 feet of that location.
