Stamford BBQ Restaurant Could Be Converted Into A Cannabis Dispensary

STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford Planning Board on April 9 recommended a special permit request from Nautilus Botanicals to open a hybrid cannabis dispensary at 1308 E. Main St., the site of The Boatyard BBQ & Grill.

Next up, the city's zoning board will hold a public hearing on the application, according to Planning Board Chair Theresa Dell.

Nautilus Botanicals had proposed a different location for a dispensary in Stamford several months ago at 110 E. Main St., the former site of the drive-through grocery store The Barn. The proposal was denied by the Stamford Zoning Board due to parking issues.

The current site has more parking than is required by zoning regulations, and the planning board expressed support for the new location at 1308 E. Main St.

Nautilus Botanicals is the contract purchaser of the property.

"I like this location much better than the last one. I like the parking especially. That was one of our problems in the last one. I think it's far back on the property that when people come in there will be sufficient parking," Dell said.

No changes to the half-acre site are proposed. The project involves an interior fit-up and a small second-story addition to the existing building, explained Leonard Braman, an attorney from Wofsey Rosen Kweskin Kuriansky, LLP, who is representing the applicant.

The current building is 4,300 square feet, and the applicant is proposing a little over 6,000 square feet with the addition. Only about 3,900 square feet will be retail and office space, and the remaining will be storage, Braman said.

The second-story addition would bring part of the existing building into compliance with flood zone regulations, Braman noted, and a significant number of flood vents will be added to increase the building's resiliency.

For parking, only 16 spaces are required under the zoning regulations, but 21 spots will be striped, Braman said.

According to a traffic study conducted by Langan Engineering, "the project will have no noticeable impact on traffic patterns in the area.

The conversion from a restaurant to a cannabis dispensary would result in 45 new trips to the property during the peak hour in the morning, 42 new trips in the peak hour in the afternoon, and 76 new trips during the Saturday peak hour, said Chris MacLean, an engineer with Langan.

Alternate Planning Board member Stephen Perry said he wondered about people driving to the dispensary from other communities and creating more traffic.

Connie DeBoever of Merida Capital, a backer of Nautils Botanicals, said the dispensary would offer deliver to help alleviate traffic concerns.

Additionally, Braman pointed to Stamford's two existing dispensaries, Fine Fettle on Research Drive, and Curaleaf on East Main Street, and said they haven't seen massive interstate or inter-city traffic.

Dell asked Braman if this application was ultimately approved, would the previous proposal be off the table?

Braman pointed to Stamford zoning regulations only allowing five cannabis dispensaries in the city.

"We have no intention of trying to open two simultaneously. If we're lucky enough to obtain a final non-appealable approval for this site we're talking about tonight that allows us to open there, we would move forward with this site and we would settle the appeal with the city from the final application," he said.

The approval on Tuesday night came with a stipulation that there will be no signage except for the signage on the building itself.

"I don't want signs up close to the road advertising," said Vice Chair Jay Tepper. "I don't mind the cannabis facility there, but I particularly don't want signs that would generate more traffic coming in. I'd rather have people know they are going there as a destination, as opposed to pulled in off the road by a sign that's there."

According to documents submitted to the city, the dispensary would be open seven days a week, with maximum hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. On lighter traffic days, the business could be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Luis Vega is the CEO of Nautilus Botanicals, which partnered with private equity firm Merida Capital, submitted documents note.

Vega, described in documents as "a passionate advocate of cannabis," studied finance at the University of New Haven and began working in corporate contract facility management.

But he remained passionate about cannabis and began in CBD sales.

In 2019 when Connecticut legalized hemp, Vega established Vega Holdings and used his own savings to obtain a USDA hemp license to purchase land to grow hemp, documents state.

As part of the CT Department of Agriculture's hemp pilot program, Vega was awarded a license to cultivate hemp and was the only Latino farmer to receive such a license.

Dell said Tuesday she did not yet know when the Stamford Zoning Board will hold a public hearing on the application.