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OSWEGO – After approving Oswego’s first permit for a cannabis dispensing facility in December, village officials now are reviewing a third application to operate a dispensary.
The village’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended Village Board approval of a second dispensary from petitioners Blounts & Moore LLC to operate within the village, during a meeting Thursday evening, Feb. 9.
With the commission’s approval, the plan will head to the Village Board for further consideration and a final vote.
The proposed dispensary would occupy a former chiropractor’s office in the Mason Square shopping center at 1144 Douglas Road near Route 34. The site sits vacant on the southern end of the building, north of Domino’s Pizza.
Vince Field represented the petitioners before the commission. He told the commission Blounts & Moore owners have received six licenses in Illinois, and the Oswego location would be the first to open, should they receive village approval.
Field said the name of the dispensary is to be decided, but it would not be called Blounts & Moore.
Commissioners Justin Sather and Jason Kapus asked if the facility would have 24/7 security, and if security perdsonnell would be armed.
Field said the facility would have 24/7 video surveillance, and security would be on-site any time staff is present. He said they do not typically use armed security, but would if it is preferred by the village.
Field said the petitioners would be looking to hire 30 to 40 local individuals to staff the location, including five in-house, full-time security guards.
The proposed hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Also at the Feb. 9 meeting, the commission recommended Village Board approval of an amendment to the cannabis ordinance that would increase the buffer zone around cannabis dispensing facilities.
In December, the Village Board granted Cloud 9 Dispensary the first special use permit for a dispensary in the village, to operate out of a former fast food restaurant at 2420 Route 30 in the Townes Crossing shopping center off Douglas Road, about 1 mile from the proposed Blounts & Moore site.
At the same meeting in December, Catalyst Cannabis was denied the same permit because of its proximity to Cloud 9.
The village currently adheres to the state regulations that prohibit cannabis dispensaries from operating within 1,500 feet of each other. Staff recommended the buffer zone be increased to one mile, to allow for multiple options while avoiding oversaturation.
The motion was approved in a 6-1 vote. Commissioner Rick Kuhn, who was pushing for a 1.5-mile buffer zone, was the only no vote on the recommendation.