WILL VENDOR GET SMOKED OUT?
On August 4th, St. Peter’s University filed a complaint in a New Jersey Superior Court against the Jersey City Planning Board, and Medusa NJ LLC, alleging that the latter’s cannabis dispensary and lounge are situated too close to the University’s new dorm.
St. Peter’s thinks that Planning Board erred when it issued a Class 5 cannabis license to Medusa, because a land-development ordinance bars dispensaries from setting up shop within 200 feet of schools. But the Board was of the view, the term “school” didn’t include a university. (Apparently, the Board relied on the Cannabis Retailer Buffer Map to approve Medusa’s application and allowed the storefront to be situated within 65 feet of the dorm.)
Interestingly, the concerns of the University and that of a local Roman Catholic high school were allegedly missing from the community impact plan that Medusa was required to file with the Board. While the plan detailed the community engagement, workforce development, small business growth initiatives, and contained a pledge to be in contact with both the university, the high school, and other neighbors, that didn’t satisfy the University, at all.
Apparently, St Peter’s isn’t very forgiving ….
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