STRATFORD — A Chicago-based cannabis company is seeking Stratford’s approval to open the town’s first hybrid dispensary to sell recreational and medical marijuana.
Verano, which operates more than 100 dispensaries across the country, is proposing to convert an old bank at 1151 Stratford Ave. into an adult-use cannabis retailer, according to an application recently filed with the Stratford Zoning Commission.
“Verano is a leading vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator, devoted to the ongoing improvement of communal wellness by providing responsible access to regulated cannabis products,” company officials wrote in the application.
Verano is the first company to apply for a chance to open a hybrid cannabis store in Stratford. State lawmakers legalized recreational marijuana in 2021 for adults who are at least 21 years old and sales began earlier this year in a handful of towns and cities.
The Stratford Zoning Commission is scheduled to review the proposal following a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22. If the commission signs off on the store, Verano will have six months to obtain a license from the state Department of Consumer Protection.
Under the proposal, Verano’s Stratford dispensary will be located in a 6,600-square-foot building that was previously home to a bank and now houses a beauty supply store.
Site plans show company officials plan to gut much of the building’s interior to make way for a 653-square-foot sales floor with at least seven point of sale terminals. Like other dispensaries, the building would feature a reception area where employees can check customer IDs.
It is not yet clear exactly what days and hours the store would be open for business. Verano officials did not respond to questions about the proposal. Under town rules, adult-use cannabis stores are only allowed to serve customers between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The dispensary is expected to generate about 70 and 125 vehicular trips during the respective weekday morning and afternoon peak hours, according to a traffic study commissioned by Verano. The store’s parking lot features 39 spaces, half of which will be used by store employees.
The town’s cannabis regulations, which largely mirror the existing medical-marijuana rules, restrict dispensaries to certain business and retail zoning districts, including the proposed Stratford Avenue site. The cannabis-related rules, which were approved last year by the five-member zoning commission, also limit the total number of recreational marijuana retail facilities in town to just two shops.
After briefly considering a moratorium on adult-use cannabis, the zoning board chose to embrace the industry due to the tax revenue and economic boost the stores are expected to generate. Stratford Planning and Zoning Administrator Jay Habansky has said industry officials believe a local dispensary could generate up to $15 million in annual sales.
H/T: www.ctpost.com
