A Washington developer’s desire to bring a cannabis dispensary to Jacksonville is scheduled to face review today after a winter storm shut down plans to seek required rezoning last month.
The city’s Plan Commission is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building at 200 W. Douglas Ave. to consider a petition by Kenny Pleasant of Bellevue, Washington, to rezone property at 1112 Veterans Drive from B4, a business designation, to B4 with special use.
The retail shop would be between West Morton and Superior avenues on a 1.65-acre property owned by Daniel Kindred of Jacksonville.
The Plan Commission will make a recommendation to City Council, which is responsible for a final determination of the application.
If approved by the council, it would be one of the first adult-use cannabis dispensaries in a 50-mile radius outside of Springfield, which has six, or Quincy, which has three.
The city has guidelines in place for recreational marijuana businesses since its was legalized in the state on Jan. 1, 2020. Among the requirements for dispensaries is that they cannot be within 150 feet of a nursery, school or residential care facility or of a residential property. They also stipulate that cannabis-related businesses may be required to install enhancements, such as security cameras, lighting or other improvements to ensure the safety of employees and customers.
Buyers must be at least 21 years old under state law.
There were 110 dispensaries around the state as of Dec. 31 that sold more than 30 million cannabis products in 2021. Adult-use recreational and medical cannabis sales last year were double those of 2020, hitting $1.37 billion, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. About $943 million of the sales were to in-state customers.
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