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12/05/2022 05:59 PMAn application for a retail marijuana store in Westbrook will get a second public hearing from the Zoning Commission on Monday, Dec. 19 after the Commission voted to continue the hearing at its meeting on Nov. 28.
Last year, Connecticut legislators passed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults in the state. The bill left it up to local municipalities to control its sale in each town. In July of 2022, Westbrook’s Zoning Commission approved regulations that allowed retail marijuana stores by special permit in the neighborhood commercial district, the turnpike interchange district, the industrial district, and the light industrial district.
At a meeting on Nov. 28, the commission opened a public hearing from BUDR Holding 3 LLC for a retail marijuana shop at 755 Boston Post Road. Ian Butler, a representative for the application, explained that the application is for a 1500-square-foot store, about 600 square feet of which would be used for retail. The rest of the building would be used for storage. Butler said the building was damaged in a fire in 2016 and has been vacant since. Before the fire, Butler said it had been a liquor store.
The commission asked the applicants to come back to the meeting next month to respond to concerns over traffic flow, parking, and community compatibility. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.
The Operations
In a presentation from Butler during the meeting he laid out how the business would work from an operational standpoint. Customers would center the store through a security checkpoint where their IDs would be checked. Once their ID is checked they would order their product from a tablet. The product would be stored in the back and not out in displays on the floor. The clerk would then go get their order and the customer would pay and be on their way. No consumption would be allowed on the premises including the parking lot. The store would also allow mobile orders with pickup times staggered throughout the day.
Butler said that due to regulations that govern how the store can advertise, there would be no overt signage. Deliveries would be made in trucks with no markings at varied times. A comprehensive vault and security system with cameras would also be installed. Butler said that a large concern from the public is often odor, but Butler said that with no consumption on the property and since the store would only be selling prepackaged products and not growing its own, that would not be a concern at the proposed location.
If approved, in addition to normal property taxes Butler said that due to state law that imposes an extra three percent tax on gross sales revenue Westbrook would see additional money from the use. That money would be used for things like streetscape improvements, education programs, mental health or addiction services, community engagement efforts, and youth service bureau.
The Public Hearing
The proposal drew a larger than normal crowd for a Zoning hearing. The overwhelming majority of speakers at the meeting were against the proposal. Reasons for opposition focused on the fear of increased traffic-especially in the summer months – fear the store would bring crime, concerns about the strain the store would place on Westbrook’s small police and constable force, and concerns about the effect of a marijuana store on youth.
One speaker did push back on the idea that traffic would be a concern and that a retail store would corallite to increases in crime.
Miscommunication
During a sometimes-snarky meeting, several residents expressed a feeling that the town hadn’t been forthcoming about the application, Multiple speakers, especially those not on social media, said they had only heard about the application the day of the public hearing. Zoning Commission chairman Harry Ruppenicker pointed out that the Commission had held public hearings during the summer when the regulations were being developed, had sought public opinion via a survey, and that the Harbor News had covered the regulations before they were approved. Despite the attention paid to the issue, there had not been much interest from the public until the application was formally filed.