Red Bank Zoning Board Hears Retail Pot Application on Bridge Ave.

RED BANK, NJ: The Red Bank Zoning Board held a hybrid (online and in-person) meeting last night hearing the application of Two River Green LLC, for a conditional use and minor site plan to open a licensed cannabis retail facility at 54 Bridge Avenue.

The site is directly behind Strollo’s Lighthouse and is currently operating as the Red Bank Laundry Center.

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Acting Board attorney Kevin Kennedy directed a question to Shawna Ebanks, Red Bank, Director of Community Development, asking, “If this application were to be approved, is it then that they (Two River Green), would also need a license from the borough of Red Bank?”

Ebanks answered “Yes” with Kennedy stating, “I just want you to be aware of that, Mr. Mainardi,” a planning consultant who concurred.

Only t hree retail cannabis licenses are allowed by borough ordinance and all have been issued.

Mainardi reviewed the details of the application and brought to the table Alexandra De La Torre, a licensed California attorney representing Two River Green. De La Torree provided her credentials saying, in part, “I have worked on 42 cannabis licenses. Specifically, I have obtained 24 licenses in the State of NJ.”

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Attorney De La Torre detailed the interior plans, layout of the facility and staffing expectations.

See the picture carousel for the graphic drawing.

Central to the deliberations was the potential impact on the neighborhood surrounding the proposed site. Concerns were raised regarding issues such as traffic congestion, security measures, and odor control.

Two River Green responded with plans to address these concerns, including traffic management strategies, state-of-the-art security systems, and advanced odor mitigation technologies. Plans include:

• Hours of operation – 8:00am through 10:00pm, Sunday through Saturday

• 4 to 6 employees on a during open hours

• On-site security guard during open hours

• Security measures (alarms, motion detectors, video, etc.), will monitor the facility 24/7/365.  Manually operated security systems will be installed

• Expectations are 8 to 10 customers per hour, or approximately 74 per day

Sylvia Costantino, a local family law attorney whose property and law office abuts the proposed retail cannabis store, and an opponent of the cannabis application, asked several pointed questions to De La Torre, the attorney for Two River Green.

To watch the video of this exchange, click HERE and scroll to minute 50.30.

Acting Board attorney Kevin Kennedy summarized what information the Board was looking for at the next meeting, which included; plans for the HVAC and dryer vents in the rear of the property, odor elimination plan, study of increase or decrease in both crime rates and residential property values, backup battery system, if the large glass windows need to be reinforced, an updated traffic count and employee parking details.

The application was carried to May 8.

Video

To watch the video of the meeting, courtesy of Suzanne Viscomi, click HERE .

Agenda

To read the agenda, click HERE .

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