Plans for Hartford cannabis shop near Front Street, convention center stirring strong opposition
As the state moves closer to the opening of recreational marijuana shops, opposition is stirring in Hartford over plans that would bring the city’s first adult-use cannabis retailer to Front Street, across from the convention center.
Derrick C. Gibbs Jr. is a member of a partnership that is seeking city zoning approvals to open the shop at the corner of Arch Street and Columbus Boulevard in a building — recognizable for the bear mural on its east side and most recently occupied by the Blind Pig Pizza Co.
“As a person that came from Hartford, I think that maybe this is something that will be beneficial — no, I don’t say maybe — I know it is going to be beneficial,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs said the shop will attract more visitors to the city and will boost foot traffic. More visitors will benefit restaurants that have struggled in the aftermath of the pandemic. The city will reap 3% of sales for its coffers, Gibbs said.
“It’s a home run,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs is the chief executive of Change Inc., a Middletown-based homecare and behavioral health provider. His business is not involved in the plans for the shop. He declined to identify his partners.
The city’s planning and zoning commission will hold a virtual hearing today on the proposal for the 2,500-square-foot building at 89 Arch St.
The state legalized the use of recreational marijuana last year and is now reviewing plans for licenses for specific businesses.
More proposals for recreational marijuana shops in Hartford are certainly on the way. The city recently received one for Parkville, across from the Parkville Market.
Stirring Opposition
While the city’s department of development services is recommending approval of the Arch Street proposal, the Capital Region Development Authority, the quasi-public agency that oversees Front Street and the convention center, strongly opposes the plans.
Anthony Lazzaro, CRDA’s general counsel, said Monday the Adriaen’s Landing area is focused on family-oriented entertainment and is under certain restrictions. Those restrictions prohibit cash-checking, pawn shops, firearms sellers, businesses that offer sexually-explicit materials, liquor stores and head shops.
Lazzaro said tenants in the area, including the Marriott hotel, the University of Connecticut’s Hartford regional campus, the original Front Street developer, Greenwich-based HB Nitkin Group, and CRDA have signed agreements that prohibit the restricted uses.
The former pizzeria is clearly within the Adriaen’s Landing district, Lazzaro said.
“One of the primary findings of the commission on Tuesday night is that it has to be consistent with the other businesses in the district,” Lazzaro said. “So, if you look at the 33-acre Adriaen’s Landing district, of which [this] is a part, it is prohibited in every other single parcel.”
‘So for there to be a finding that this somehow consistent with the district, it sort of strains credibility, Lazzaro said.
Lazzaro said a recreational marijuana shop has the potential to hurt convention center bookings that are heavily supported by events geared to families, sports and religious organizations.
“We don’t oppose the cannabis store going somewhere else in Hartford, including perhaps at one of our other locations,” Lazzaro said. “CRDA has lots of other properties in the city. We just don’t think the Front Street district is the appropriate location.”
Peter J. Christian, Nitkin’s, managing director and general counsel, echoed in an email Monday that the proposed shop was inconsistent with the development goals of Front Street and the wider, Adriaen’s Landing.
“The use off the parcel in question should be in keeping with those same development goals,” Christian wrote.
The Connecticut Science Center, just north of the convention center, did not have immediate comment Monday. UConn declined to comment. The neighboring Arch Street Tavern couldn’t be reached.
CRDA also is concerned about shop patrons and employees using the nearby Front Street garage. The garage was partly financed with federal funds, and use and sale of marijuana under federal laws remains illegal.
Gibbs said he believes the opposition is rooted in the stigma still attached to cannabis and “folks prejudgment of what this is going to look like and who the customers will be and a lot of that stuff.”
Another question, Gibbs said, is whether patrons will be consuming what is sold on the premises.
“Absolutely not,” Gibb said. “The same as with a liquor store. You don’t buy a bottle of vodka and crack it open right in front of the store, right?
The partners plan to purchase the Arch Street building.
In its report recommending the adult-use cannabis shop, the city’s developmental service department said the proposal met recently-adopted regulations for such businesses.
City development staff note Gibbs and his partners plan to use a pre-order and appointment system during the first month of operation to ease crowds that could queue up outside the building. Security also will be stepped up in the early days of operation.
The hours of operation would be Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Patrons would have to be 21 to make purchases.
The recommendation for approval notes that “staff finds the adult-use cannabis industry is a new and innovative industry that could drive tourism into the city.”
Increased tourism and encouraging entrepreneurism would be consistent with the city’s broader plans to the cultivate an atmosphere of innovation that expand economic development and attract more visitors to Hartford, the recommendation said.
Gibbs said he and his partners believe they have a good shot at winning a license because they have applied as social equity applicants, allowing them to bypass the lottery system.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
