Yorkville committee denies variance for cannabis shop near Parkview Christian

Yorkville will continue to be without a cannabis dispensary after the Planing and Zoning Commission denied a variance request from Progressive Treatment Solutions when a packed audience of concerned community members spoke in opposition. The proposed site at 1508 N. Bridge Street is less than the 500 feet from Parkview Christian Academy required by city ordinance.

Carin Young, a mother with two children at the school, told the committee she was afraid the distance was not enough to shield the students from the negative effects of cannabis exposure and marketing. She cited studies showing how cannabis usage interferes with brain development, negatively impacts academic performance and increases the risk of mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

“When they voted ‘No,’ it brought me hope again,” Young said in an interview after the meeting. “I’ve watched Yorkville compromise on many different things just to bring in tax dollars. That’s not the Yorkville I grew up in. It brings me hope to see we still have a voice and our committees still listen to us. They made the right decision today.”

While dispensaries can only sell to 21-and-older, Young echoed the concerns of other attending community members that the cannabis products might still find a way into students’ hands.

“A lot of kids struggle today with substance abuse and can’t get control of their lives,” Young said. “If it’s in your community, they’re going to find a way to get it.”

The proposed site for the dispensary has been vacant for almost three years. The city council previously approved permitting a cannabis dispensary in Yorkville for the additional tax revenue. The company desired this location because it’s currently the only building within city limits properly zoned for such a business, and they require a stand-alone, previously-built structure.

Parkview Christian Academy previously told the city it was prepared to sue to prevent PTS Corp. from opening the dispensary so close to its campus. PTS was before the committee asking for a special variance permitting the business despite being less than 500 feet from a school. The request was denied by the Planning and Zoning Commission at it’s meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Before the voting, 16-year-old Anneliese Linnemann, a junior at Parkview Christian Academy, told the committee she questioned the city’s plans to ensure the safety of both her classmates and her teachers if the dispensary was permitted.

“When I was sitting there, I was wondering if saying something would matter to the community,” Linnemann said after the meeting. “I wanted my voice to count to make sure my classmates are safe. I didn’t want anything bad in the community to happen knowing what kind of archetypal people might come around in this business venture.”

Linnemann said she was nervous to speak in front of the committee, but the enormous community support helped provide her the strength to raise her voice.

While the committee ruled against the necessary variances permitting the dispensary at this exact location, they said they were not opposed of one being located elsewhere in town. Only committee member Daniel Williams voted in favor of all the necessary variances for the dispensary at that location, describing the vote as being “between a rock and a hard place.”

During the meeting, PTS Corp. representative Steve Weber argued their company strives to educate consumers about the realities of cannabis and its effects for both medicinal and recreational usage. Weber said their marketing efforts and communications are directed and curated for adult consumers, not underage people.

The company said there are currently 228 active dispensaries in Illinois, and another 16 on the way. They pointed to two stores in Oswego and two coming to Plainfield as evidence against the perceived harmful community effects.

Mitchel Kay, a lawyer representing PTS Corp., dismissed many of the school’s concerns.

“We can’t go on subjective reefer madness from the 1960s and think this is the same thing,” Kay told the committee.

Kay pointed out that PTS’s security is tight, cannabis is not permitted to be consumed on the premises, and minors are not allowed within the store. He disputed Parkview Superintendent Ray Epperson’s claims that their building label reading “CONSUME Cannabis” serves as a declarative statement to the public.

“We are not marketing anything,” Kay told to the committee. “A sign is a designation of our store. Nothing more than that.”

Kay took umbrage with the school’s opposition to a special variance claiming the school itself was granted one to originally open after threatening to sue the town if they didn’t permit the school to operate.

PTS did not respond to requests from Shaw Local News Network for comment.

After the meeting, Jordan Gash, Parkview Christian Academy board chair, said he was disheartened PTS continued pursuing this location considering the school first objected back on July 13.

“We voiced our objections all along the way and we were grateful for an opportunity to do so publicly tonight,” Gash said. “I’m thankful they heard us and that they were in favor of upholding their standards that are good for the community and for our kids.”