OLD SAYBROOK
Following months of considerations and public hearings, the Old Saybrook Zoning Commission (ZC) has voted to deny an application to open a retail marijuana store on Boston Post Road.
The 3-2 vote came during the Commission’s Oct. 17 meeting. Earlier this year, Fine Fettle Dispensary filed a special exception application to open a cannabis dispensary at 233 Boston Post Road. The application called for no modifications to the outside of the current building, while renovations would be needed for the interior. ZC deliberated on the application for three months, inviting the public to weigh in at hearings in August, September, and October. Public hearings closed on Oct. 3, making way for the Oct. 17 decision.
In 2021, Connecticut legislators passed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults in the state. The bill left it up to local municipalities to control its sale in each town. Earlier this year, the ZC passed new regulations that effectively banned retail marijuana stores everywhere except for the B-4 district and restricted it to locations that received approval from the town prior to January 2022. Only two locations in Old Saybrook had received such approval, one being the location at 233 Boston Post Road.
At is Oct. 17 meeting, the Commission deliberated quickly, and a motion to approve the application — with several conditions related to parking management as well as requiring the business to operate by online appointment only – received two votes from Robert Friedman and Ann Marie Thorsen. However, three members, Marc Delmonico; Geraldine Lewis; and Mark Caldarella; voted against that motion, so it failed.
In denying the motion, the Commission cited reasons including inadequate parking for employees, and a potential high number of visitors that the Commission said would be too much for the driveway and local roads to handle. The Commission also cited an increase in space the applicants were proposing. The Fine Fettle application proposed using the entire building, while a 2018 approval for a medical marijuana dispensary on the site that never came to fruition approved use of only half the building.
The public hearings over the application drew several speakers and letter writers who were both for and against the application. The location of the business near the intersection of Boston Post Road and Springbrook Road was the most commonly cited concern by those opposed to the application.
The location is close to to I-95, and it was argued that additional cars coming to the property would add more congestion to an area that speakers said is a source of a lot of near misses and accidents. Additionally, with a small parking lot for the business it was argued the lack of adequate parking would force more cars in and out of the lot and onto the road. Some speakers even said that while they were not opposed to a retail marijuana shop, they were opposed to one at the 233 Bost Post Road location due to traffic.
Chief of Police Michael Spera noted in one meeting that estimates for the number of customers coming to the business would be over 500 a day. Spera said that he would still be opposed to a business with that large of an estimated customer base opening in the location even if it wasn’t related to marijuana.
In addition to traffic concerns, other people opposed to the application spoke of a fear the store would result in a need for additional police expenses, would contribute to a negative reputation for the town, and that it would send a bad message to youths.
Proponents of the move had argued that there were economic benefits to allowing the sale, that the product was now legal and no more harmful than other already legal substances, and that the concerns over safety were overstated.
Fine Fettle Chief Operating Officer Ben Zachs did not respond to a request for comment.
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