By Board Grants Special Use Permit
The Pomfret Zoning Board has approved the town’s first permanent cannabis retail shop. The board granted a special use permit to Empire Smoke Shop 9 for the operation of a cannabis retail dispensary in an existing commercial building at 10376 Bennett Road, Fredonia, just beyond the roundabout off Route 60.
The store will be named Marz Cannabis. It will be located in the same plaza as O’Reilly Auto Parts and Firehouse Subs, which also features a liquor store and a hair salon. The dispensary will be licensed and regulated by the State Office of Cannabis Management.
Corey Auerbach, from the law firm Barclay Damon LLP, said the property is “precisely the type of location contemplated by the town for this use an existing commercial space that will be reused and reactivated, in the mixed use corridor.”
Application Timeline
The application was filed in June, and representatives were in contact with the town in preparation of a formal proposal on Sept. Following that proposal, the Zoning Board closed its public hearing while reserving decision to a later date.
The board did so with the intent of issuing a decision after consulting with legal counsel and additional time to discuss the application. After discussion, the board officially approved the special use permit application.
Earlier this month, at a continuance of the September meeting, representatives from Empire Smoke Shop 9 were welcomed before the Zoning Board again for further discussion.
Board Vote
Michaelene Comerford, Ruth Eckstrom, and Chairman of the Board David Fridmann all voted in favor of the project. Ray Lewandowski voted against it.
Jonathan Townsend, Zoning Board Alternate, abstained from the vote after not attending the initial presentation. Alex Moon was absent from the vote.
The approval marks the first permanent marijuana retail shop permitted in the town of Pomfret. The dispensary will operate as Marz Cannabis at the Bennett Road location, subject to licensing and regulation by the State Office of Cannabis Management.
