ENFIELD — The town’s first cannabis dispensary opened this past weekend, only to abruptly close Monday after the operator was notified that the required permits had not yet been obtained.
The property at 9 Hazard Ave. — a former Starbucks — has been outfitted to be a hybrid cannabis dispensary, selling both recreational and medicinal products under the name Octane Cannabis, the company announced on social media Friday.
However, as of Monday, the company announced it was closing due to construction-related improvements, according to a sign on its door.
The sign said that a reopening date has yet to be determined.
While the operator of the facility, Hydra East LLC of Glastonbury, has permits approved for the dispensary, as well as a building permit, its zoning permit doesn’t become active until there is a certificate of occupancy, Enfield’s Director of Planning Lauren Whitten said.
Although the facility was given a conditional certificate of occupancy, the state needs to see an official certificate of occupancy in order to issue a license, she said.
“I think they misunderstood the process,” Whitten said of the facility’s operators. “They opened thinking they were all good, but they had not met all the requirements for the certificate of occupancy.”
An official certificate of occupancy is still pending some zoning and building requirements, she said.
“They’ve been very cooperative and they closed the business and are following through with the requirements,” Whitten said, adding she believes the premature opening was a simple misunderstanding of procedures.
Meanwhile, work is ongoing to convert the former Outback Steakhouse on Elm Street to another cannabis dispensary, Verano.
The restaurant has been closed since January 2022.
The developer of the cannabis dispensary is in the process of redoing the facade and constructing a drive-thru. The dispensary will only occupy about a third of the building, Whitten said, with the other two-thirds separated for two other tenants.
Whitten said it is not yet clear when either dispensary will open as it is up to the operators as to how quickly they can move through the regulatory process.
However, she said it is more likely that the facility on Hazard Avenue opens first.
The Hazard Avenue property has been vacant for several years, falling into disrepair and leading to graffiti, litter and illicit activities, town officials have said.
The cannabis industry coming to Enfield was “semi-controversial” among residents during public hearings, Whitten said. “There was certainly a handful or more that came out to speak against marijuana as a whole, but ultimately the (Planning and Zoning) commission decided it was a use that should be permitted and they approved it.”
