The owners of the retail marijuana store in Old Saybrook are asking the Zoning Commission for permission to remove a requirement that the store operate via pre-sales or appointments only. A public hearing over the application will be held on Monday, May 20, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

Almost one year after receiving approval of its application, Fine Fettle Dispensary officially opened at 233 Boston Post Road in January 2024. Due to conditions of the 2023 approval from the Zoning Commission, Old Saybrook’s Fine Fettle location is required to operate by pre-sale and appointment pick-ups or delivery only. However, it was also stated at the time that the operators could apply to the Zoning Commission to change that provision.

On May 1, Fine Fettle’s attorney sent a letter to the Zoning Commission asking to remove the requirement.

The letter said that since opening, the store has experienced no problems with parking or traffic management, which were significant issues the commission and the public were concerned about during public hearings over the application.

“There have been no traffic incidents, let alone accidents and no complaints from neighbors, law enforcement, zoning, or town officials since opening. In fact, the only complaints Fine Fettle has received to date have been from unhappy customers turned away or struggling to make orders online, resulting in poor customer experiences,” the letter states in part.

The application to remove that condition of approval will be on the agenda for the next Zoning Commission meeting scheduled for May 20 at 7 p.m.

Old Saybrook Zoning Enforcement Officer Chris Costa said the commission will open a public hearing at that meeting. At the hearing, the public can speak in favor, against, or neutrally on the application.

Long Road

Fine Fettle first applied to open a store in Old Saybrook in 2022, but the application was denied. In its decision, the commission cited reasons that included inadequate employee parking and a potentially high number of visitors, which the commissioners said would be too much for the driveway and local roads to handle. The commission also cited an increase in proposed operational space on the property.

Following the denial, the applicants appealed the decision in Middlesex Superior Court. The appeal alleged that the Zoning Commission acted arbitrarily in its reasons for denying the application.

Fine Fettle then returned in early 2023 with a second, scaled-down proposal, which included plans to use less of the building for sales and the remaining space just for storage. The new application also decreased the number of on-site employees and limited the number of registers, leading to more parking spots for customers.

It was that second application that the Zoning Commission approved on Feb. 6, 2023.

Both Fine Fettle applications drew substantial feedback from members of the public, with several speakers appearing at both public hearings and writing letters to the Zoning Commission. Some letters and social media posts favored the application, but the overwhelming majority of speakers at the hearings were against the application.

Opponents most commonly cited concerns about the store’s location, potential road safety hazards created by its opening, and a perceived negative reputation for the town.

Additionally, shortly after the Zoning Commission approved the second Fine Fettle application, two neighboring property owners filed a lawsuit to overturn that decision and force the store to close.

However, Costa told Harbor News that Fine Fettle’s initial and neighbors’ appeals have both been dropped. Costa also confirmed that there have been no zoning complaints or issues since the store opened in January.

Prior to the Old Saybrook location, the nearest dispensaries to Old Saybrook were located in Branford, Middletown, and New London, forcing local customers to travel 20 miles or more for access to legal cannabis.

Fine Fettle currently has multiple cannabis dispensaries in Connecticut and two in Massachusetts. The company is looking to expand in those two states as well as the state of Georgia.