While some members of Community Board 5 have a number of concerns about a legal marijuana shop proposed for Middle Village, they may need to get a bit creative to formally register those with the state’s Office of Cannabis Management.
A July 12 vote on a motion to notify the OCM of the board’s formal disapproval ended in a 19-19 tie, defeating it.
The board is not scheduled to meet in full again until September.
In a public hearing in June, Osbert Ordu–a, CEO of The Cannabis Place, spelled out plans to open a licensed dispensary at 74-03 Metropolitan Ave., the former site of a Chase bank branch. He presented plans for security, enforcing age restrictions and community involvement.
Following that meeting, District Manager Gary Giordano sent the OCM both an email and a formal letter outlining a number of concerns raised during the hearing.
Objections in the formal message voted on last week included:
• the site’s location within 500 feet of a preschool;
• its location in the main area of the Metropolitan Avenue shopping area where teens walk to and from school and where children go to stores and restaurants with their families;
• the potential impact on the surrounding residential neighborhood;
• the possible inclusion of…
