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Medical marijuana dispensary given go-ahead to build next to Boardman distillery, pending city council approval
YOUNGSTOWN
A medical marijuana dispensary is one step closer to opening on Youngstown’s South Side after a meeting of the city’s zoning appeals board Tuesday.
Youngstown’s Board of Zoning Appeals voted to recommend that the city council allow Herb Washington-owned medical marijuana dispensary, Quest Wellness Ohio II LLC, to operate as a regulated-use business at 4323 Market St.
It was necessary for Quest Wellness to seek a waiver from the city due to its proximity to another regulated-use business, Candella’s Distillery, which technically is located in Boardman.
Under city law, medical marijuana dispensaries are considered regulated-use businesses – similar to tattoo parlors, liquor stores, or smoke shops – and are prohibited from operating within 500 feet of another regulated-use business, or any school, church, public library, public playground, public park or community addiction service provider.
Despite the fact that the distillery is in Boardman, city ordinances still required the dispensary to seek an appeal, which puzzled even the city officials present at the meeting.
“I’m surprised it’s necessary given we’re talking about an extra-territorial business,” city Law Director Jeff Limbian said.
Terrell Washington, the director of business operations at Quest Wellness and the son of Herb Washington, said he was surprised by the hurdle, but was ultimately pleased with the ruling.
“We were a little caught off guard, naturally, since it was dealing with a Boardman business, but we’re ready to get back to business as usual,” he said.
Washington said the dispensary is on track to open in January, and has already received more than 1,000 applications from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia job seekers.
Washington hopes to open with 20 staff members, and intends to increase that number, should the business prove successful.
Medical marijuana became legally available for sale in Ohio on Sept. 8, but none of the dispensaries will be open for business until the state finishes testing the product later this year. The first dispensaries are likely to open in January.