Six years after Elburn officials enacted an ordinance to allow a cannabis dispensary in the village, the current Village Board has approved canAFarm Dispensary’s location at 202 W. North St.

Anticipating a state law that would make the sale of recreational cannabis legal in January 2020, the Village Board passed the ordinance in September 2019 in order to have more control over the regulations.

The state statute’s safety requirements for opening a retail cannabis business include a rigorous licensing process and a comprehensive safety system, including 24-7 surveillance with security cameras and lighting, capacity control to limit the number of people within the building when open and vault rooms to store the cannabis when closed.

The village added its own requirements, including prohibiting on-site consumption, barring the location of a dispensary within 150 feet of a school or day care, setting maximum hours of business from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and permitting only one dispensary for every 10,000 people in town.

Approval of the business is also contingent on obtaining a special-use permit that can’t be transferred. This process requires the individual to come before the planning commission and the Village Board and includes a public hearing. The village can also impose additional conditions.

When the Village Board created the ordinance, there was much discussion among board members, as well as comments from residents. Some expressed concerns that allowing dispensaries could send a negative message about the village, which currently sees itself as a friendly, family-oriented place to live.

One official noted that while marijuana might one day be as accepted as alcohol is, it was still a federal offense. Another official mentioned all the “hand-wringing” before the approval of video gaming in town.

The concerns ranged from morality issues to safety and crime. However, one individual noted research that has shown crime decreases in the area around dispensaries due to all the security measures in place.

One resident expressed the worry that dispensary customers would be coming from outside of Elburn, with the possibility of bringing an unwelcome element to town. However, one of the trustees noted that marijuana use already existed in Elburn would prefer to have it regulated.

When canAFarm, LLC CEO Talvin White approached the village in August about locating a dispensary at the North Street location, commissioners noted that this was the third time White had come with his request. The first two were conditionally approved by the Commission, but issues with the real estate prevented him from moving forward.

White’s request in September 2024 was for a dispensary at 415 S. Main St. Commissioners had concerns about traffic at that location, especially with its proximity to a residential neighborhood. They recommended approval, conditional on the results of a traffic study and a few other requirements.

When White returned to the village this year, he submitted the results of that traffic study, which showed that additional traffic associated with the business would not be an excessive burden for the downtown area. Village President Jeff Walter and the Village Board agreed that there was no need for an additional traffic study, as the two locations are in the same general area.

The majority of the comments from neighbors this year were regarding the proximity of the North Street location to nearby Byerhof Park. However, as Walter noted, the village ordinance does not include restrictions on a dispensary’s proximity to a park, only to schools and day care centers.

The board approved White’s petition for the special use permit to locate his dispensary at the North Street location. The zoning for the location is M-1, or light manufacturing, and zoning for the surrounding areas is residential and downtown business.

The dispensary will reside in an existing building, located on the north side of North Street west of Main Street. Walter said the entire property, currently owned by Obscurity Brewing and Craft Mead, will be subdivided into four parcels, including one where several grain bins are located, and another for the dispensary and a small gravel parking lot.

White plans to purchase the parcel. He has begun to solicit bids for architectural design and construction to meet state safety regulations, paving and striping the parking lot, and a new roof.

He said he hopes the work will be done by the end of January.

White said he looks forward to being a part of the Elburn community, including being able to contribute in a financial way.

“Cannabis is a documented profitable industry, and I’ll be able to provide additional tax revenue for the village,” he said.

He said he also looks to engage with other communities to expand his market, but that will take time. He also wants to partner with community colleges in the area to offer classes on what he said were the beneficial effects of cannabis.