Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries Permitted In Northfield

NORTHFIELD, IL — Village trustees unanimously approved ordinances Tuesday allowing recreational marijuana dispensaries to open up shop in Northfield.

Pot shops are allowed, with a special use permit, on portions of Frontage Road north of Willow Road and Waukegan Road north of Winnetka Road. The village board also voted to impose a 3 percent tax on such businesses, the maximum allowed by law.

Village Manager Stacy Sigman said no cannabis businesses have yet expressed interest in operating in the village.

"But it's not unusual," Sigman said. "I don't think there's any available licenses any more, and, at the time there were we didn't allow it, so people wouldn't necessarily have inquired."

Northfield was one of several North Shore communities where local officials took a "wait-and-see" approach to modifying the zoning code to permit recreational cannabis businesses after state lawmakers legalized them.

In a survey ahead of the Jan. 1, 2020, effective date of adult-use cannabis legalization in Illinois, residents were split on their preference for allowing dispensaries in town, according to village staff.

In October, the village board directed staff to draw up changes to village code to allow recreational cannabis dispensaries. At the time, village officials noted the potential for additional tax revenue despite a $1.5 million loss of income amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Trustees also noted the lack of significant problems of crime or traffic in nearby municipalities that have allowed recreational cannabis dispensaries, which include Evanston, Niles, Northbrook and Skokie. Several other nearby communities have medical dispensaries.

On Jan. 4, Northfield plan commissioners recommended amendments to the zoning code by a vote of 7-2.

They include a 500-foot buffer zone limiting dispensaries from locating within 500 feet of schools, day cares, hospitals or houses of worship. They also specifically forbid any use of cannabis on a dispensary's premises.

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The village's ordinance permitting cannabis dispensaries also includes a ban on any cannabis craft growers or cultivation, transporting or processing business.

The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, which legalized the possession and retail sale of recreational marijuana in Illinois, called for such licenses to be issued to social equity applicants.

The Pritzker administration has yet to issue any licenses for such organizations amid legal challenges, leaving the industry dominated by a few multi-state operations.

An effort by some lawmakers to amend the law in an effort to allow for more licenses to be issued faster failed to pass during last week's brief lame duck session in Springfield.