April 18, 2024
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After hangups at state, Cary dispensary receives updated approval from Village Board

Dispensary aims to open at some point in summer, village officials said

By James T. Norman
People cross the street near the Cary sign at the intersection of West Main Street and Spring Street in Cary on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The village of Cary is considering a new tax increment financing district in its downtown corridor to help spur new development in the oldest part of its town.

People cross the street near the Cary sign at the intersection of West Main Street and Spring Street in Cary on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. (Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver for Shaw Media )

After receiving the go-ahead from the Cary Village Board last year, a marijuana dispensary trying to open in town ran into issues with its licensing through the state of Illinois, prompting the business to need new allowances from the village.

The Village Board unanimously approved those variances at its meeting Tuesday, which could result in the business, located at 20 Northwest Highway, opening up by the end of July, Vertical Management’s Development Director Anthony Rein said on Thursday.

The variances will mean the business will allow a new building to be closer to a neighboring home than currently allowed, but most trustees said Tuesday they weren’t concerned about the changes.

“It’s a strange situation.”

—  Patrick Smith, representing Vertical Management LLC

Cary-based Vertical Management LLC, which was approved last July to open a dispensary and infusion business in Cary, ran into concerns from the Illinois Department of Agriculture as it was obtaining its state licenses, said Patrick Smith, who represented the company at the village meeting.

The license that created a hang-up was one for transportation, as the company wants to ship the source material in and make its products fresh in-house, Smith said.

In what Smith described as a staff change at the Department of Agriculture toward the end of the approval process, the department asked the company to create a garage at the back of the entrance.

The request meant a change in the business’ original permit due to a new structure, according to village material. The new structure would also cause the business to butt up close to a neighboring home.

“It’s a strange situation,” Smith said at the meeting.

An attempt to reach an official with the Illinois Department of Agriculture on Thursday was not successful.

Trustee Rich Dudek said he was concerned the changes could make it harder for the neighboring property to sell in the future. Any screening, such as landscape features obscuring the business from the property, that could help the home retain desirability would be helpful, he said.

However, Trustee Rick Walrath said he felt comfortable given the height of the trees separating the properties.

“I struggle to see if I’m in that backyard, I’m even going to see your building,” Walrath said.

The business would also be comfortable putting more landscaping features on the neighboring property at the behest of the owner if needed, Smith said at the meeting.

Construction at the property began about six months ago, Community Development Director Brian Simmons said on Wednesday. Once licensing at the state level is finalized, the business will need to show proof to the village, then it can operate.

The business has been approved for all the state licenses it needs, Rein said. Those are for dispensary, infusion and transportation.

Vertical Management has invested more than $1.2 million into opening a dispensary in Cary, Rein said. The garage addition could mean another $150,000.

The effort to open up a dispensary in Cary adds to a list of marijuana-focused businesses looking to open soon in McHenry County.

A marijuana business in Woodstock, operated by Six Labs Inc., aims to open an infusion and transportation business in May, with hopes to expand its operation to include a dispensary later this year.

Dispensaries in McHenry and Richmond could also open at some point this year.

Currently, two dispensaries are open in McHenry County. RISE Lake in the Hills opened its doors in 2021, while Ivy Hall in Crystal Lake opened earlier this year.