County Hearing On Uptown Hoboken Cannabis Dispensary To Be Held Tuesday

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher is urging people who have thoughts about a proposed cannabis dispensary on 14th Street to log on to a Hudson County Planning Board meeting Tuesday, and to atttend Wednesday's City Council meeting, at which the council may vote on whether to expand the city's Cannabis Review Board.

Some neighbors of a proposed dispensary at the former Hudson Tavern restaurant on 14th Street have said the area is too densely packed to add a proposed recreational dispensary to the mix. Last week, it was reported that the building's condo association is suing the storefront owners — including the wife of Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop — to stop the dispensary from coming to Hoboken.

A number of dispensaries are hoping to open in Hoboken, and must get various state and local approvals first. In recent months, the Hoboken council has tightened laws allowing them to come, including capping the number of dispensaries allowed in mile-square Hoboken at six.

However, some that applied before the new rule may be grandfathered into the old rules. Three proposed or current cannabis dispensaries in Hoboken, including a medical dispensary that wants to also sell for recreational use, were up for hearings at Monday night's Cannabis Review Board meeting.

Those dispensaries are at 86 River St., 1427 Grand St., and 321 Washington St.

Meanwhile, Story Dispensary at 14th Street, a proposed recreational cannabis facility, has already received some approvals. The county hearing set for Tuesday pertains to the impact on traffic, pedestrian safety, and drainage/sewer use, Fisher said. The dispensary would be located at the intersection of two county roads.

"If [the Planning Board] doesn't turn it down, it can at least make the applicant pay for necessary safety and roadway improvements," Fisher said.

Some council members believe the town's three-member Cannabis Review Board is too small to be making these decisions alone, and hope to add members to the board. Right now, the three members are Council President Michael Russo, city Business Administrator Jason Freeman, and Health and Human Services Director Leo Pellegrini.

A vote to expand the board may come before the City Council on Wednesday.

The council will also consider, on Wednesday, other laws limiting dispensaries, including keeping them away from large residential buildings including 1 and 2 Marine View Plaza.

Links To The Meetings And Information

• Here is a link to the Planning Board meeting.
• Here is a link to watch the council meeting on Facebook.
• Here is a link to the council agenda and the agenda packet, with instructions for attending the meeting.

Read more background here: Pot Or Not? More Cannabis Dispensary Applications To Be Heard

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