Three companies competed Wednesday night, October 28, for the chance to open Hamilton’s first marijuana dispensary, but city rules mean only one is likely to get the zoning certification it needs. Hamilton City Council held public hearings on all three applications at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at 345 High Street, according to WMOH radio in Hamilton, which detailed the proposals, and WKRC.
The contest follows council’s decision in July to permit medical and adult-use dispensaries as conditional uses in certain commercial districts, ending the city’s longstanding prohibition, WMOH reported. Under the City of Hamilton’s own policies, each application requires Planning Commission review and final City Council approval, under Section 1353 of the Hamilton Zoning Ordinance.
Cascade Southern Ohio LLC proposes an UpLift dispensary at 877 Northwest Washington Boulevard, Suite C, in an existing building west of Shooters Bar & Grill, according to WMOH. It would renovate about 5,809 square feet formerly tied to the property’s movie theater. WMOH reported UpLift already runs two Ohio dispensaries, projects the largest workforce of the three — 35 to 45 employees — and estimates 350 to 400 customers a day.
GTI Ohio LLC proposes a RISE dispensary at 845 Northwest Washington Boulevard, on about 2.41 acres behind a veterinary hospital and near El Mariachi restaurant, WMOH reported. Unlike UpLift, RISE would build a new store rather than renovate. The company already has six licensed dispensaries in Ohio, according to its application as reported by WMOH, and projects about 20 employees and 200 to 300 customers on busy days.
Jushi RJK OH LLC, a subsidiary of Jushi Holdings Inc., proposes a BEYOND HELLO dispensary at 1520 Main Street, just north of Northwest Washington Boulevard, on land now used as overflow parking for a nearby Applebee’s, according to WMOH. Jushi would invest about $2.5 million in a single-story, 2,400-square-foot store with 33 parking spaces, employing about nine to 14 people and serving an estimated 200 to 300 customers a day. It already operates seven Ohio dispensaries and would serve both medical patients and adult-use customers.
Distance decides the race. All three sites are within a mile of one another, and Hamilton prohibits dispensaries within a mile of each other, so the city will certify only one in that area, WMOH reported. Priority generally goes to the first applicant to win council approval, or, if approvals come at the same meeting, to the application first submitted as complete. All three won Planning Commission recommendations on September 17, WMOH reported, but council need not approve any of them.
For Hamilton, the outcome means a new kind of west-side retail — dozens of projected jobs and hundreds of daily visits, but only at a single store. Second readings are scheduled for November 11, according to WMOH, when council should show which company, if any, moves toward city zoning certification and state licensing.
Photo: S&Mj Adventures, CC BY-SA