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Dispense with the Dispensary?
At one point at a March 27 Nyack Village board meeting — captured perfectly by the surprisingly-delightful Zoom-operated camera array (see below) — Nyack Mayor Joe Rand leaned back, propped up his glasses and rubbed his face and head in exasperation.
A small army of concerned parents had spent over an hour bombarding him pleas to immediately change village zoning to prevent to the opening of a medical marijuana dispensary right between two beloved Nyack family institutions: Turiello’s Pizza and Temptations ice cream shop. You know, the old Starbucks location.
Despite the best efforts of these eloquent and well-prepared advocates, there was apparently nothing Rand could do about it. Or wanted to do about it.
Four years ago, the village voted to change commercial zoning rules in the village that would allow for retail cannabis stores in Nyack. At the time, there was very little push back. But now that the idea is turning into reality, people are concerned that the dispensary will bring an unwanted element of vice and danger to a family-friendly area.
The arguments against the dispensary, and there were many, almost all started with how great Nyack is for young families. People move here because they want their kids to be able to roam freely and do not want to worry about their safety. Lately, however, the argument goes, Nyack’s downtown has changed: more pan-handling, more violence, more open-air drug trade and weed smoking. In this environment, they say, the last thing we need is a legal, New York state licensed medical marijuana dispensary. It will only bring problems and ruin the family-friendly environment.
Spoiler alert: Rand and the rest of the board were not moved to act, much to the chagrin of the anti-dispensary advocates. You can read a more detailed explanation about why Rand supports the new dispensary (tax revenue boom, cannabis is popular, Nyack’s not Mayberry and is a little edgy, ethos-wise, this shop is not going to turn Nyack into an Amsterdam red light district), but Board member Joe Carlin made an interesting point to me after the hearing was over: it’s simply too late.
At this point in the game, Carlin said, Nyack would be in a heap of legal trouble if we pulled the rug out from under the dispensary owners who have already traveled down a lengthy path to get licensed and are actively setting up shop. They could easily sue, Carlin said, and Nyack would lose.
The bigger issue, from what I could tell from watching the meeting (you’re welcome), was that people are concerned about the state of downtown Nyack and a loss of safety. Homelessness, pan-handling, public drunkenness, loss of commerce. These are all issues we should definitely continue to discuss and be concerned about.
But those are larger problems than preventing a new, legal medical marijuana that will bring life to an empty storefront and revenue into the village’s pockets.
There will be a follow-up hearing to discuss a possible expansion of the proximity rules around dispensary locations. Currently, according to state rules, another dispensary can’t open within 2,000 feet of another. But Rand and the board are looking back up that state regulations (which could get pulled at any time) with our own village ordinance.
In other news:
The owners of 80 South Broadway, the current location of Murray’s convenience store and gas station (which easily contains Nyack’s best craft beer selection) want to turn the space into a 4-story mixed-use building, with commercial space on the ground floor and a total 18 residential units (two of them earmarked as “affordable”) on the upper three floors.
However, they need a special permit from the Board of Trustees because the area is only zoned for three-story buildings. According to the village’s code, in order to receive the special permit, the builders need to provide a “substantial public benefit” to the village. To this end, the consultants working on the project, Nyack’s own DRPilla, said they would pay for installing underground wiring for utilities and curb adjustments, include attractive landscaping open to the public and make the building with a “green” roof. They added that it would simply be a “better building” than any three-story version they would default to if they didn’t get the special permit.
While the Planning Board voted to recommend approval for the fourth story in early March, the board discussed the possibility of the permit at the endlessly thrilling March 27 meeting. While Mayor Joe Rand said he liked the idea, at least one of the board members, Joe Carlin, expressed concerns that the fourth story would change the “historic nature” of the neighborhood. A lawyer for Hannemann Funeral Home, which is adjacent to Murray’s and concerned about the new structure “overshadowing” its own space, echoed Carlin during public comments, saying the public benefits outlined would probably be included whether it ended up being a three-story or four-story building. The lawyer claimed the benefits did not outweigh the detriment of adding a building that is “truly is out of character” for the neighborhood.
Food for thought …
A couple of quick follow-ups from last week … Run, don’t walk, to Corner of Ukraine. The food, heavy on beets and gorgeously prepared dishes, is fantastic. Go for dinner tonight. You will not regret it. Get the Borscht and an unfiltered Ukrainian beer … La Promenade is now open for business in Upper Nyack. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7 am to 6 pm and on the weekends from 8 am to 5 pm … Kantina Kita, an offshoot of Sparkhill joint, Kantina, brings a twist to a modern sushi bar to the corner of Franklin and Main streets … speaking of offshoots, Olar, the popular tapas spot that moved from Piermont to Northvale, New Jersey, is back in New York at the former Marlowe’s brewery space. The space in Northvale is called Olar Noso. The Nyack location is being called Olar Meu.
Meeting you should think about attending in the coming weeks: The Village will hold a public hearing on April 24 at 8 pm to discuss a local law ensuring dispensaries don’t cluster too closely together. Click here to find more information about local meetings and civic happenings.
ICYM NNV’s weekly features: See Andrea Swenson’s newest Photo Shoots; Bill Batson’s latest “Nyack Sketch Log”; Mike Hays’ most recent “Nyack People & Places”; and past editions of “The Villages.”
Musical Outro (send us recs!)
An oldie but goodie.
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