Uphill battle for proposed cannabis dispensary in Joliet

Once again, Joliet is resisting a plan to put a cannabis dispensary on Jefferson Street.

Elected officials have rejected attempts to locate cannabis shops on Jefferson Street since the City Council in 2021 turned down a proposal to reduce the buffer zone between dispensaries and homes.

Last week, the Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 against a dispensary proposed by Veltiste Wellness for a former NAPA Auto Parts store at 2121 W. Jefferson St.

The vote is a recommendation to the City Council, which is scheduled to vote on the proposal on April 15.

The unanimous rejection came after Veltiste CEO Dev Patel pointed to a “monopoly” that Rise, which has two dispensaries in Joliet, now has for legal cannabis business in the city.

Rise Dispensary management and corporate employee work the Colorado Avenue location in Joliet on Thursday, April 20, so the cannabis dispensary could stay open after union employees went on strike. — A Rise Dispensary along Colorado Avenue near the Louis Joliet Mall is one of two Rise cannabis dispensaries in Joliet. (Gary Middendorf/Gary Middendorf)

“I’ve never seen it that one company has a monopoly in a city the size and stature of Joliet,” Patel said.

“Joliet can definitely use a third dispensary,” he said. “In reality, it could probably use a fourth.”

Joliet was among the first cities to allow recreational cannabis sales in Illinois, authorizing the Rise dispensaries near the Louis Joliet Mall and in the Rock Run Industrial Park when Illinois made recreational cannabis legal in 2020.

Later proposals for more dispensaries have been made for Jefferson Street.

City officials have heard complaints from residents who live in neighborhoods adjoining Jefferson Street that the commercial corridor has too many liquor stores and smoke shops.

A stretch of West Jefferson Street shows the close proximity between businesses and houses along sections of the street. (Bob Okon)

They’ve been reluctant to add cannabis dispensaries to the mix.

In 2021, city staff brought a proposal to reduce the buffer zone between cannabis dispensaries and residential areas from the city standard of 1,000 feet to a new limit of 500 feet. The change was urged by prospective cannabis dispensaries who found many Jefferson Street locations too close to houses to allow for their business.

The City Council turned down the buffer-zone proposal.

In 2022, a cannabis dispensary was proposed for the former Bakers Square restaurant location at 2211 W. Jefferson St.

The zoning board at that time recommended approval for the dispensary proposed by Emerald Coast. But it was turned down by the City Council.

Emerald Coast tried again in 2023 to get approval for the plan and was turned down again.

The former Bakers Square site is now under redevelopment for a Starbucks coffee shop.

Joliet City Council candidate Jim Lanham, sporting his write-in candidate T-shirt, speaks at a candidates forum on Thursday. Joliet. Feb. 19, 2025 — Joliet City Council candidate Jim Lanham has argued for allowing more cannabis dispensaries in the city. (Bob Okon)

No one from the public spoke against the Veltiste plan for the former NAPA Auto Parts store.

Two people who identified themselves as security workers for the cannabis business spoke for it.

One was City Council candidate Jim Lanham, who has been critical of the council’s decision to reject the Emerald Coast plan because of the local tax dollars generated by dispensaries.

“Nothing bad happens at these dispensaries,” Lanham told the zoning board. “This is a good industry, and we need the tax revenue.”