New Cannabis Dispensary Moves Closer To Planting Roots On Route 22 In Somerset County

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Root 22, a new cannabis dispensary owned by Bridgewater local Joe Savino and Princeton local James Barr, continues to move closer to opening on Route 22 in Somerville.

The Somerville Planning Board unanimously approved the application for Root 22 Dispensary, LLC to convert a Sunoco gas station at the corner of Route 22 East and Gaston Avenue on the Bridgewater Township border at its April 24 meeting.

Bridgewater Township submitted a letter over concerns of loitering along with traffic and parking.

"The applicant intends to provide regular loitering sweeps and there is security on site. There'll be no loitering signage," said Michael Silbert, an attorney from the law firm DiFrancesco Bateman for Roots 22 LLC. "The applicant is willing to work with the Board to satisfy and accommodate Bridgewater Township's concerns."

The proposed renovations to the site include eliminating gas station infrastructure, expanding the building, and increasing parking spaces to 20, including one EV and one ADA space.

The Board identified the need for variance relief for maximum improvement coverage, minimum side yard, and loading spaces. The applicant also seeks waivers for wall signs, shade trees, storm water management, and lighting.

Barr has a long history in the cannabis industry, which began in Colorado in 2010 when he owned and operated a dispensary business called Good Meds in Denver. He was also a part-owner of an Illinois operation called Phoenix Botanical.

Barr also mentioned his role as a founder and executive at Prow and Pure Op in Michigan and as a consultant for other operators.

For the Roots 22 property, Barr anticipates a daily customer volume of about 350 for the store, which will take six to 12 months to reach, and expects to have six staff members per shift, including a security guard/receptionist, two sales associates, and other roles focused on convenience and community service.

The security guard/receptionist would be verifying age of the customer, greeting them, and managing flow, according to Barr.

The hours of operation will be from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Barr also mentioned that odor mitigation measures are not a significant concern, as the business will have filtered HVAC systems.

As far as odor mitigation measures, Barr said "We are not too concerned with odor in general. We're going to have our HVAC systems that are filtered. We'll be utilizing HEPA filtration in the facility for air quality in general."

Additionally, on-site consumption will not be permitted to address any odor issues.

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