The Park Ridge City Council moved one step closer to approving a special-use permit for a second cannabis dispensary at the site of the former VFW hall at 10 W. Higgins Rd. at its meeting Monday night, continuing the on-again, off-again drama that has surrounded the controversial use of the property since it was first voted on this winter.
After more than two hours of presentations from the developer and comments from neighborhood residents, the council approved the first reading of the special-use permit by a vote of 4-2. Voting in favor were 1st Ward Ald. John Moran, 2nd Ward Ald. Fred Sanchez, 6th Ward Ald. Rick Biagi and 5th Ward Ald. Charlie Melidosian.
Voting against were 3rd Ward Ald. Gail Wilkening and 4th Ward Ald. Harmony Harrington.
For final passage, the special-use permit must receive approval from the council after a second reading, which could come as early as the next City Council meeting on June 20.
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Notably absent from the meeting was a 7th Ward alderman, the ward that represents the proposed location of the dispensary. That seat now sits vacant after the resignation of Ald. Marty Joyce, who moved out of Park Ridge last month. Several “unrepresented residents of the 7th ward,” as one resident put it, spoke out against moving forward with the proposal when the seat remained vacant.
“It’s very hard to ignore the void in the room with Ald. Joyce not being here,” said Maria Rito-Foukas, a 7th Ward resident. “(You should) defer this vote to when that 7th Ward alderman is selected. I think that would be best for the constituents of the ward and all of Park Ridge.”
Rito-Foukas is one of 11 people who will be interviewed to fill that open seat, which will ultimately be decided by a City Council vote. She said that the interviews will take place June 15 and 16, and whoever is selected can contribute to the debate.
“I, and 10 others, are very excited to participate on behalf of the residents,” she said.
Ald. Joyce’s resignation is just the latest twist that has marked the journey of this special-use permit:
* The permit was initially approved at the March 8 city council meeting, with Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney casting the deciding vote with the aldermen tied 3-3 on the measure. 5th Ward Ald. Charlie Melidosian was absent from the meeting.
* At the second reading at the April 4 meeting, Melidosian was in attendance and cast his vote against the permit, killing it.
* Two weeks later, the City Council voted 4-2 to allow the permit to be submitted to the planning and zoning commission for further review, essentially giving the developers another chance to sell their proposal. That vote occurred after Bridge City Collective, which would operate the proposed dispensary, submitted a letter to city council outlining nine additional conditions of approval, including greater traffic mitigation, a revised landscape buffer and monthly meetings with the residents.
* The revised proposal received approval from the planning and zoning commission, bringing it back to City Council last night.
Before the vote, an additional condition was made to the proposal by Ald. Melidosian, and approved by Council, limiting the hours the dispensary can operate to between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Earlier versions stipulated that it could remain open between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
– Original Credit: City of Park Ridge
With the new hours of operation, in addition to the other conditions submitted earlier, Melidosian voted in favor of the special-use permit.
“As much as I don’t like dispensaries in our town, and I was a ‘no’ vote on it, the residents clearly told us that they were OK with recreational dispensaries,” Melidosian said. “What the applicant brought before us the original time, versus what we have now, are two different things, and I view it as a new item.
“I do believe, as much as I don’t like dispensaries, the applicant has created an adequate buffer zone,” he said. “At least for this first reading, I think there is sufficient evidence for a yes vote.”
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but I think that the right decision has been made,” said Hubert Cioromski, who owns the property at 10 W. Higgins Road. “I think it’s going to be great for the community. I’m a Park Ridge resident. I’ve lived here for 40 years. I own other properties here. We’re going to make sure this contributes to making Park Ridge the great town that it is.”
In February, all seven of the city’s aldermen voted to approve the city’s first recreational marijuana dispensary for 1036 W. Higgins Road, located just a half-mile to the west of the 10 W. Higgins site.