Write a commentThe first item on Tuesday’s Common Council agenda was a public hearing regarding the special use permit to open a cannabis dispensary at 956 S. First St., submitted by Leafy Wonders.
The proposed dispensary would be located near the terminus of the Pathfinder South Walking Trail and across the street from Farnham Family Services addiction treatment center. The dispensary is currently planning to operate under a delivery-only model.
The hearing was informational in nature, with the public being invited to ask questions about the permit and provide their opinions on the proposal. The council has 62 days before they must approve or deny the permit application, and may impose additional “reasonable” restrictions on the permit. Mayor Jim Rice said, “The special use permit will be reviewable every six months for three years. We will look back to identify trends with traffic concerns, noise complaints, and police calls.”
City resident James Mankiewicz spoke against the dispensary, suggesting that marijuana is often a gateway drug to addictive illegal drugs. Opinions from Liberty Resources, Farnham, and Oswego Health should also be considered, he said. Mankiewicz also suggested more information needed to be made available to the public, such as the size of the building, its hours of operation, and so on, so that the public could comment on the matter intelligently. Fourth Ward Councilor Jeffrey Cobb agreed, saying, “We need more time to put the information out to the city. The public needs to know more.”
Several other residents also opposed the permit, including former Fulton mayoral candidate Marissa Hanlon and Fifth Ward Councilor Audrey Avery. Kathy Rice, who works in the Office of Mental Hygiene and is married to Mayor Jim Rice, asked the council to place an extension on the public hearing and invite Farnham to speak to the council about the permit. Other residents brought up health and security concerns and worried that crime will increase, draining city resources. “We’ve got to take the good with the bad [regarding marijuana usage],” said resident John Hanson, “But these types of businesses carry a lot of product and a lot of cash… I don’t want to jeopardize the lives of our police for the sake of a private business.”
Attorney Kevin Caraccioli, who also represents the City of Oswego, spoke as the attorney negotiating the real estate transaction for the buyer, Leafy Wonders. He reminded the council that they did not opt out of having dispensaries in Fulton when they had the option to do so, and spoke about the economic benefit to the tax base. Legal cannabis products are taxed at a rate of 13%, with 4% staying within the local community and an additional percentage being distributed throughout the dispensary’s county.
Second Ward Councilor Doug Chapman agreed that revenue needs to be considered in the decision. “We do need the revenue, so we’ve got to look at that as a positive part of it.”
Caraccioli then mentioned that Farnham wanted to work with the dispensary in Oswego when their proposed location was close to Farnham’s treatment center. He noted the Oswego location treats people who are addicted to narcotics, making legal marijuana a safer and less problematic choice. Hanlon then asserted that Farnham’s treatment center in Fulton primarily treats alcoholism and addiction to marijuana, calling it “a whole different clientele” than the non-profit’s Oswego location. A representative from Farnham was not present for comment.
At the end of the hearing, Leafy Wonders COO Tina Holava-Hughes addressed the council and some of the concerns brought up over the course of the evening. According to Holava-Hughes, an armed guard would be present on-site during all operating hours, and ADT is being contracted to handle security with a 22-camera system covering the exterior and interior of the site. In addition, Holava-Hughes covered several of the guidelines put in place by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management regarding tracking and tracing shipments and safety requirements for deliveries. “If you have concerns, just give me a checklist and I will make sure to check off each one,” she said.
After public comment closed, Council President Don Patrick of the Third Ward said, “The biggest concern here is security and it sounds like they have that covered.”
The council voted to extend the public hearing and put the permit back on the agenda for the next meeting of the Common Council.
That meeting is slated for Tuesday, February 21 at 5:30pm in the Common Council Chambers on the second floor of the Fulton Municipal Building, 141 S. 1st St.
