Third Joliet cannabis dispensary awaits approval at meeting Tuesday

Joliet will get its third dispensary for recreational cannabis if the City Council approves a project planned for Jefferson Street.

The council votes Tuesday on a special use permit sought by Emerald Coast to open a dispensary in the former Bakers Square restaurant at 2211 W. Jefferson St.

If approved, it would be the first cannabis dispensary to open in Joliet since two Rise stores opened in January 2020 when Illinois made sales of recreational marijuana legal.

The Zoning Board of Appeals last month voted 4-1 to recommend approval, and city staff has recommended approval.

If Emerald Coast gets the OK, the dispensary would open in 60 to 90 days after approval, Craig Krandel, an attorney for Emerald Coast, said after the zoning board vote.

“There’s going to be a modification of the building,” Krandel told the zoning board.

According to a city staff report, Emerald Coast plans to make changes to both the exterior and interior of the former restaurant.

Emerald Coast has told the city that dispensary hours would likely be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The company expects about 750 customers per week and plans to employ about 20 workers.

Emerald Coast is affiliated with Justice Cannabis Company, which has Bloc dispensaries in five states and also has Justice Grown dispensaries in several states, according to the company’s website.