Both the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Selectmen earlier this month gave their blessings to the project. The store will open in five to six months in the former Riders Cafe at 2627 Waterbury Road, literally located on the Waterbury line. The boundary of the two municipalities goes through the middle of the 1.5-acre property, largely surrounded by woods and undeveloped land.
The cannabis store, however, will be located only on the Thomaston side. Representatives of the applicant, C3 Industries Inc., told the selectmen at their March 18 meeting that the Waterbury side is zoned for residential properties only, while the zoning on the Thomaston side is for manufacturing/light industrial uses.
In addition, they said the Thomaston cannabis store, to be called High Profile Cannabis Shop, will become C3’s fourth and final retail location in Connecticut. The maximum allowed by the state for any one operator is four. C3 operates similar shops in Canton and Hamden, and a third is under construction in Stratford.
C3 is a private, multi-state cannabis company founded in 2018. In addition to Connecticut, it has operations in Michigan, Missouri, Illinois and New Jersey, with approximately 275,000 square feet of production facilities and 31 retail dispensaries in operation now.
“C3 has a long track record of cultivating, manufacturing and retailing high-quality cannabis products, with customer service and value at the center of its business plan,” C3 stated in its application to the town.
C3 was represented by land use lawyer Meaghan Miles, Associate General Council Jake Thornton, and Bob Phillips, director of design and construction, both before the PZC and the selectmen, at separate meetings. The PZC approved a permit for C3 on March 5. A town ordinance permits only one cannabis establishment in town at a time.
In a question from selectmen about whether another business tenant could move into the space next to the cannabis store, Miles said it would be “extremely” difficult to put anything there but a restaurant or bar, because the land on the Waterbury side is zoned residential. A restaurant/bar would be grandfathered in because that’s what it was before zoning regulations existed.
“We don’t really want anything next to the cannabis shop,” Miles said. “We just want to make the building nicer and more secure.”
Miles said C3 has a contract to buy the entire 1.5-acre parcel from the current owners, Riders Realty LLC. The cannabis store will be located on 0.58 acres of the 1.5 acres and consume 3,400 square feet of the 5,200-square-foot, one-story building that was built in 1956.
Selectmen happy with the store’s location
State law requires a 3% tax on cannabis sales, in addition to the state’s 6.35 % state sales tax. Selectman Michael Burr said he is grateful that the cannabis store will be on the outskirts of town, and not downtown.
“At least this will raise some revenue for the town,” Burr said. “If we don’t approve this one, the next application could be smack down the middle of downtown.”
First Selectman Edmond V. Mone agrees.
“I can’t think of a better location for the particular use it needs to be,” he said.
Miles said the exterior of the building will receive mostly cosmetic improvements, such as painting the building and restriping the 23 parking spaces. Most of the work will be done on the inside, including the erection of walls to separate the cannabis store from the Waterbury side of the building.
C3 is also implementing significant security measures, including access restrictions, vibrant site lighting, multiple alarm systems and video surveillance and a diversion prevention plan.
High Profile will not sell medical marijuana, and the state heavily regulates the sale of cannabis. Thus, C3 will hire experienced licensed professionals to serve customers.
Deliveries will occur at the northern entrance of the building, and will occur once or twice per day, usually in a van or box truck.
C3 will also install energy-efficient, high-quality ventilation and filtration systems in the building that will ensure that air passed out of the equipment is odor-free.
The PZC ordered operating hours to be between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., but C3 has not yet determined exactly when the store will be open.
