YEADON, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Restore Integrative Wellness Center dispensary at 735 Church Lane near Guenther Avenue in Yeadon, Delaware County is a subtle gray building, with tinted windows, security cameras, and a discreet entrance on the back side away from the street.
A large billboard outside of Yeadon advertising the store reads “COMPASSION, CARE, and COMMUNITY.”
If passersby aren’t looking for it, they might not know what the building is since it looks like the average pharmacy, except according to signs outside – patrons need a prescribed medical marijuana card and ID to enter. The inconspicuous and newly opened dispensary has been the source of a lot of contention in the quiet borough of Yeadon over the past several weeks.
“They gave no town meeting, they gave no flyers, they gave no indication, the Council gave no public notice that a marijuana dispensary was going to be there at Church Lane,” said Sharon Council-Harris, president of Yeadon Borough Council.
Harris was recently installed to her Council position this year. Prior to that, she was a concerned resident who’s been in the community for nearly 40 years.
“They did not do a traffic study of the impact of people coming from around the region to do business there, which is not allowed under our borough code,” Harris explained.
“There had never been any due process or notice, as required by our own borough to inform the residents of this type of facility coming to Yeadon located in our commercial space there on Church Lane, the limited commercial space,” she emphasized.
She says it was not until October, after the dispensary had already been approved by the Yeadon Borough Zoning Hearing Board.
Elizabeth Westmoreland lives in an apartment complex next to Restore, which was previously a bank. When asked if she knew the business was a marijuana dispensary, she responded, “Not until it was all said and done. They [were] starting to renovate the place so that’s when I found out.”
Westmoreland, who lives with her 5 and 6-year-olds, said she was initially unsettled by the perceived secrecy in the opening of the dispensary. Now that it’s been open since February, she’s accepting – as long as it doesn’t draw any disturbances.
Harris said it’s not about what Restore is but where it’s located.
“Our concern, obviously, is not against a marijuana dispensary. The objection was that they would put it on the main thoroughfare, attracting people from all over the region to come into Yeadon, for this particular service,” she said.
“Four schools that are within a little over the 1000-foot mark. From kindergarten to ninth grade, they pass that dispensary and we’re concerned for our children and for the future of our children.”
On a Friday afternoon, the parking lot did get a lot of traffic from families and children. Some were visiting the social events space on the corridor which hosts birthday parties and other celebrations. Some kids were just hanging out on the block after school, just a few feet away from the dispensary.
Over several weeks, residents protested and successfully appealed the business, even hiring their own lawyer. In February, less than a week after opening, Restore was ordered to close following Harris’ and other concerned residents’ challenge of the board’s initial approval of use.
Almost one month later, however, the store is still open for business 7 days a week, and while it disappoints some, customers said they are thankful.
“It is very helpful for a lot of people who go through what I go through, like pain and stress or whatever like that. And it’s very convenient,” said a patron who wished to remain unnamed.
KYW Newsradio reached out to Restore multiple times, but they did not respond for comment.
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