SOMERVILLE – The county seat's first recreational cannabis dispensary has received preliminary site plan approval from the borough's Planning Board.
Root 22 Dispensary wants to convert the Sunoco gas station at the intersection of Route 22 and Gaston Avenue in the far northeastern corner of the municipality bordering Bridgewater. The proposal received the first stage of approval from the Planning Board on April 24.
Former Mayor Dennis Sullivan urged the board to approve the plan.
"It took a lot of time and effort to develop an ordinance" after a statewide referendum approved the legalization of cannabis, Sullivan said.
"We were very restrictive in what we expected," he said, adding that Root 22's plan "matches up with the ordinance."
In October, James Barr, a principal of Root 22 Dispensary along with Bridgewater resident James Savino, told the Borough Council that he projects the business could gross $10 million a year.
With a municipal tax of 2% of gross sales, the borough could annually realize $200,000 in revenue, he said.
Barr told the board on April 24 that he expects that six months to a year after the dispensary opens, there will be about 350 customers a day.
The dispensary will cater to commuters and customers from Somerville, he said.
The dispensary will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
He said the dispensary plans to have six or seven staffers on a six-hour shift, with at least one security guard on duty at all times who will be checking identification of customers as they enter. The guard will also be monitoring the property to enforce the prohibition against loitering and consumption of product.
Barr said he and Savino have an interest in a small cultivation facility in Middlesex Borough that has been approved, where the cannabis for the dispensary will be grown, similar to a "a farm-to-table restaurant."
All products in the dispensary will be pre-packaged, he said, adding it will not be "deli-style" like dispensaries in other states.
The gas station, which also has a small convenience store, will by expanded by adding a second story.
The first floor will be for customers and the second story will have a vault and office space.
The gas station will remain open during the expansion of the building, Barr said. Removal of the canopy over the gas pumps and the gas tanks will be done after construction is completed.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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