5cannabisbusiness applications up for approval in New Haven
Jul. 18—Previously reported applications include one by Affinity Health and Wellness, operator of the one hybrid medical/recreational cannabis business in New Haven, which seeks to move across town to the current site of the 91 Diner at 420 Middletown Ave., just off the northbound Interstate 91 entrance at Exit 8.
Another is the adult-use cannabis store that INSA wants to put in the former Long Wharf Theatre space in the Long Wharf Food Terminal at 222 Sargent Drive; and Pennsylvania resident Dharini Patel's Divine 1 seeks to create a hybrid medical/recreational business in the long-vacant former Connecticut Savings Bank building at 45 Church St. downtown.
A new application from Nautilus Botanicals looks to put a hybrid cannabis shop at 63 Amity Road, just beyond the 1,500-foot limit from Affinity's current facility at 1351 Whalley Ave.
A fifth application, from Let's Grow Hartford, aims to put a cannabis store in part of an old industrial building at 1041 State St. That site is across State Street from the upscale Corsair apartments and the city's seasonal Ralph Walker Ice Rink.
City Plan Commission staff did not return requests for comment Tuesday concerning the applications, at least one of which, the Affinity proposal, originally had been scheduled to be heard last month but was tabled until Wednesday after several alders expressed concerns about it.
—
Stamford sets new rules for smoke shops, cannabis dispensaries
—
State collects $4.7M in cannabis taxes, lower than projections
"We have reached out to the all the alder people who had expressed concern," Affinity owner Ray Pantalena said Tuesday. "This is a property that the city has identified for adult use and we're hoping to" move in and open there, he said.
The proposed Middletown Avenue facility would be "of similar size" to Affinity's current home, but "there's more parking and it would be a larger footprint," Pantalena said.
Pantalena said he's hoping to move to the new location, but believes there is enough demand to have two cannabis facilities in the Westville/Amity area.
Affinity's application proposes adding a 250-square-foot product vault to the existing 4,736-square-foot structure, for a total of 4,986 square feet. The interior would include both medical dispensary and recreational cannabis sections.
The new facility would include include 30 cameras "recording every square foot" inside and outside, with glass armor windows and doors. The application also noted that the size of the building is similar to the business' current one in Westville.
The owner of the diner was not available for comment Tuesday.
Affinity, seeking more space, initially considered a move to Amity Plaza near the Woodbridge line, which was about 50 percent larger than its current Whalley Avenue location. That one ended up not going forward.
In an opposing letter to the Middletown Avenue application from five alders, the alders said that, if approved, the dispensary would be right across the street from an early child care center being constructed by the Fair Haven-based Friends Center for Children Inc., which bought the former Cine 4 movie theater property.
"Being across the street from a new Child Care Center which will be opening soon is a major concern for residents and parents," said the letter, which was signed by Alders Gerald Antunes, D-12, Sarah Miller, D-14, Ernie Santiago, D-15, Anna Festa, D-10, and Richard Furlow, D-27.
The alders said the location is also on the daily route of school buses and that it's within 1,500 feet of Ross Woodward School on Barnes Avenue. Google Maps shows that the elementary school is about 2,100 feet away.
Lt. Brian McDermott, the New Haven Police Department's district manager for East Shore and Annex areas, echoed what the alders said, especially with the proximity of the FCC's new child care project.
"There is other commercial space available in the Foxon Boulevard area that maybe more appropriate for this type of business," McDermott said.
The Nautilus application is for an hybrid cannabis medical dispensary and adult-use store at 63 Amity Road, in a two-story, 8712-square-foot building that currently is home to Amity Music and T-Nailroom. Nautilus would occupy 1,617 square feet on the first floor of the building in the space formerly occupied by Ercolano Cleaning and Restoration.
Nautilus Botanicals, headed by Luis Vega, is backed by Merida Capital Holdings, which the application says is one of the largest private equity firms in the state-legal cannabis industry. It is involved with locations in West Virginia, St. Louis, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York, the application states.
"There are no public, parochial or private elementary or secondary schools within 500 feet of the property" and no cannabis establishments or tobacco bars within 1,500 feet, it states. Affinity is more than 1,600 feet away, it says.
"We comply with all the separation requirements," said Nautilus Botanicals' attorney, Joseph Williams of Shipman and Goodwin. He said that even if Affinity remained in its current location, he believed there would be enough demand for both.
The 1041 State St. application filed by Let's Grow Hartford would open a cannabis store in part of an old industrial building at 1041 State St. previously approved for apartments. That site is across State Street from both the Corsair apartments and the Ralph Walker Rink.
It's a 2.5-story industrial building on 0.22 acre, with two adjacent lots of 0.13 and 0.06 acre, respectively. The building is about 9,167 square feet of gross floor area on two floors, with the first floor being about 5,429 square feet, the application states. The applicant would rent the first floor, with the second floor of the building to be vacant or used for storage.
In total, 20 parking spaces would be provided. The site is not near any schools, parks, playgrounds or community gardens, with the exception of the Ralph Walker Rink, the application states.
