Belleville approves another marijuana store in a move to boost sales tax revenue
A second marijuana store for Belleville was approved by the City Council Monday, and developers say the site could bring up to $500,000 in sales tax revenue annually to the city.
The latest plan calls for the store to open in a vacant bank building on the east side of the city at 360 S. Green Mount Road. The site at the intersection of Green Mount and Mascoutah Avenue had previously been the location of Busey Bank and Bank of Edwardsville operations.
Emerald Coast LLC was granted a special-use permit to open the cannabis dispensary there Monday.
The store is expected to open in the first quarter of next year at the earliest and in the second quarter at the latest, according to a representative from Justice Cannabis, which is a consultant for Emerald Coast.
Mitch Zaveduk, the vice president of real estate for Justice Cannabis, said the Belleville store could generate revenue of up to $10 million a year, with $300,000 to $500,000 in sales tax for the city.
The city has imposed a 3% sales tax on cannabis sales and the sales on pot products.
Zaveduk described the potential tax revenue for the city from the Green Mount Road site as “significant.”
The brand name is expected to be “Bloc.” Zaveduk said the name is designed to show how the company wants to be a part of a “neighborhood block.”
“We’re excited to be part of the Belleville community,” Zaveduk said. “It’s part of our mandate that we always hire locally. We pay very competitive wages.”
The store will offer cannabis for recreational use sales. It doesn’t have a license for medical use sales. The site is expected to have 18 full-time employees and four part-time employees, he said.
The bank building has drive-thru lanes but the city bans drive-thru sales for marijuana products.
Earlier this year, the City Council approved plans for a cannabis dispensary off Illinois 15 near the intersection of South 74th Street.
This site has not yet opened, but city officials say the developers still plan to open in the former oncology center at 7300 Twin Pyramid Parkway.
Also, the City Council has discussed whether the city should change the rules about how close a marijuana store can be located to a school and residential area. The council had asked City Attorney Garret Hoerner to research the issue but he said Monday he did not have anything to announce.
The city’s current rule calls for the dispensaries to be 1,500 feet from schools and 400 feet from a residential area.
Illinois began allowing weed sales for recreational use on Jan. 1, 2020. In 2021, the industry had $1.37 billion in sales in the state.
