Here's why Mahwah officials delayed decision on legal weed sales until next year

Marsha A. Stoltz, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

MAHWAH — A motion to adopt an ordinance allowing retail cannabis sales at 231 Routh 17 north was tabled until next year by the Township Council at a Thursday meeting.

Ordinance 1956 drew objections from 20 of 24 residents and its police chief at a public hearing Monday. It would allow retail sales a half-mile from Ridge Road on the west or southbound side of the highway. Four of the township's six schools are on Ridge Road, starting with the high school a half-mile drive from the site.

Mayor James Wysocki, who served two years as an undercover narcotics officer with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and 29 years with the township department, spoke favorably about the proposal at the beginning of the discussion Thursday.

"The economic benefits to be gained are very positive," Wysocki said. "Edgewater, Colorado, opened six dispensaries in one square mile and tax gains were $200,000 per store. The negative impacts were extra traffic, overcrowding and a slight spike in crime."

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Councilwoman Janet Ariemma objected to the proposal, saying $200,000 would have little impact on the township's budget and called for an immediate vote. However, Councilman Robert Ferguson moved to table the motion until 2022 to allow more time to gather information and educate the public.

"There is a lot to digest," Ferguson said. "We want to protect the brand of Mahwah."

The motion to table passed with only Ariemma voting no and Councilwoman Michelle Crowe-Paz abstaining.

A Mahwah ordinance that would allow a retail cannabis store to locate on a former gas station property (red dotted line) just south of the Ramapo Avenue overpass on Route 17 north was tabled at their council session Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021.
A Mahwah ordinance that would allow a retail cannabis store to locate on a former gas station property (red dotted line) just south of the Ramapo Avenue overpass on Route 17 north was tabled at their council session Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021.

Rob Anzilotti — a retired chief of detectives with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office who now heads a national security and investigations consultancy — testified to a variety of security precautions ADPP Enterprises would undertake on the site of the former gas station to sell only to legal buyers.

Anzilotti described a system of multiple security doors and license scanning equipment to prevent underaged buyers from entering the store. A three-sided enclosure would prevent pedestrians from walking to the store — an often-mentioned concern by residents about children walking across the overpass after school.

Council President David May cautioned that even if the ordinance is approved, ADPP would still have to get Planning Board approval of its project, and that issues such as traffic studies and security would be addressed at that time.

Marsha Stoltz is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: stoltz@northjersey.com

Twitter: @marsha_stoltz

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mahwah NJ: Legal weed sales decision delayed until 2022