Cannabis Dispensary Fails to Gain Recommendation from Yorkville Planning and Zoning Commission
Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Yorkville Planning and Zoning Commission meeting
The October 9, 2024, Yorkville Planning and Zoning Commission meeting was attended by about sixty people eager to voice opposition to the cannabis dispensary being proposed at 1508 N. Bridge Street, located in the northeast quadrant of Veteran’s Parkway (U.S. Route 34) and N. Bridge Street. During the Public Hearing, members of the public testified regarding the location of the dispensary in proximity to Parkview Christian Academy and voiced their concerns about secondary effects surrounding this type of business. No member of the public testified in support of the cannabis dispensary.
Proposed cannabis dispensary location
The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Committee spent the last several years revising and refining Yorkville’s Ordinances to better suit the community. During that process, the minimum distance a dispensary could be located from a school was reduced from 1000 feet to 500 feet. The UDO Committee’s recommendations were passed on to the City Council, where they were recently discussed, voted on, and approved. The petitioner’s request was for an exemption to the newly revised ordinance that was already favorable to them.
The special use authorization and variances to Ordinance 10-4-14 were requested by Steve Weber, on behalf of PTS Corp. and Fort Smith FD Partners, LLC.
The Yorkville Planning and Zoning Commission voted (1-5) against a special use authorization in the B-3 General Business District. They also voted down all three variances. The vote was (1-5) against reducing the minimum distance between the dispensary and certain pre-existing institutions from 500 feet to 450 feet, (2-4) against extending the permitted hours of operation to 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays, and (1-5) against allowing more than one wall-mounted sign by adhering to the current signage regulations for similar B-3 businesses while complying with Illinois cannabis signage rules.
Board member Daniel Williams was the only board member who voted In favor of all Items up for consideration. Richard Vinyard voted in favor of extended hours, but voted down all other items.
