Proposed Richmond marijuana dispensary moves forward but concerns raised over traffic

Richmond is one step closer to getting what could be McHenry County’s second marijuana dispensary and its first to allow on-site consumption.

The village’s Plan Commission voted 4-1 Monday to recommend a special use permit that would allow Zachary Zises and 280E Prairie Ridge LLC to operate a dispensary at the former Blackhawk Bank, 9705 Prairie Ridge Road.

The sole vote against the plan was Commissioner Tim Oswald.

“I, for one, don’t want in this in my community at all,” said Oswald, who is also a Lutheran pastor.

Following the commission’s vote, Village President Toni Wardanian said she was “very excited” for the positive recommendation to the Village Board, which is expected to vote on the proposal during its meeting Thursday evening.

Zises said he is under contract to purchase the former bank, pending approval of the special use permit, and if the village approves the special use permit and his renovation plans, he could be open in six months.

About 20 residents attended the Plan Commission meeting to comment or ask questions of Zises. A majority in attendance said they were in favor of bringing a dispensary to the town.

However, others voiced their concerns about the issue which derailed Zises’ previous dispensary proposal: traffic.

Resident Michael Wilson said that he has a medical marijuana card, but the traffic might be too much for the small town.

Richmond “can’t handle the traffic in the summertime as it is,” Wilson said.

Zises came to the meeting armed with a traffic study, completed Oct. 13 by consulting engineers BLA Inc.

That study indicates that “the proposed development traffic can be accommodated on the adjacent streets and with the proposed site access.”

Zises noted the former bank has 52 parking spaces and he is not seeking an Illinois medical marijuana sale license, as those are not available from the state.

Another resident, Laurie Cook, said she drives to the Mundelein location for her medical marijuana. “I have to drive 45 minutes to an hour to Mundelien and back” to pick up her product.

Even without the reduced state taxes for medical card marijuana, she would probably save money on gas by buying in Richmond, Cook said.

One resident who spoke in favor of the dispensary and on-site use permit, Karina Andrzejewski, said she works at the RISE Lake in the Hills dispensary, the only dispensary currently operating in McHenry County.

She addressed another resident’s question about the legality of Wisconsin residents visiting the Richmond location.

Wisconsin residents are limited to how much they can purchase by Illinois law, Andrzejewski said. They “are informed of the law” when they purchase.

Neither do people tend to stick around after they make purchases, she said. Most of their clients are out the door in 15 to 20 minutes.

If clients order online from one of his two locations in Chicago, they are in and out unless than five minutes, Zises said. He does not plan to open the proposed consumption lounge immediately.

“Like a bar,” servers will observe behavior and check for intoxication, Zises said. No one would be allowed to remain for more than two hours and should reserve their spots online to use on site.

That consumption lounge would also have a video camera linked directly to the police department next door, Zises said.

“I am committed to making sure this is run well,” he said. “It will be a safe environment for the people in there and the people outside.”