A portion of the property at 855 Boston Post Road in West Haven in a July 7, 2021 file photo. The building that is proposed to become a Shangri-La adult use cannabis store is at lower right.
An architectural rendering of the proposed Shangri-La recreational cannabis store, which if approved would be in an outbuilding on the same property as the former Universal Hotel Liquidators store at 855 Boston Post Road in West Haven.
WEST HAVEN — A developer's bid to open a recreational cannabis dispensary in an outbuilding on the Universal Hotel Liquidators property at 855 Boston Post Road has been delayed for more research amid concerns that it might be too close to a previously approved daycare facility.
The proposed single-story, 4,595-square-foot Shangri-La adult-use cannabis store would be the first cannabis retail operation in West Haven. The city is home to one cannabis cultivation facility, Advanced Grow Labs on Frontage Road.
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The application for a special permit and site plan application to open a Shangri-La adult use cannabis store received a hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission on April 14.
It was continued to April 28, however, after one PZC member, Secretary Greg Milano, said a daycare center at 802 Boston Post Road was within the 800 feet buffer zone, according to minutes of the meeting. The vote to continue the application was unanimous.
After a brief recess, PZC Chairman Chris Suggs said a child daycare center was approved at 802 Boston Post Rd. in January 2024, according to the minutes.
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After researching the matter, Attorney Vincent Amendola, who represents the property owner and applicant, Alpha CT 7 Inc., said his reading showed that there is no straight line between the properties and no cross walk, which would make the day care operation beyond the 800 feet in actual travel distance.
The city's zoning regulations state that "no marijuana dispensary … or cannabis establishment shall be permitted on a site that is less than 800 feet from any site containing a church, school, daycare center, public building, public park or recreation, or private recreation area."
The regulations specify that distances "shall be measured from the nearest public entrance of the proposed establishment to the nearest public entrance of the existing uses," connecting each site along a perpendicular line to the nearest public street and then following along the street between the two sites.
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"Commissioners discussed distances whether driving or walking as it pertains to the regulation language," the minutes state. At that point, "Attorney Amendola asked for a continuance so they can research this and come back with more information."
Shangri-La operates four other Connecticut cannabis retail operations in Waterbury, Plainville, Norwalk and South Norwalk. Shangri-La representative Andrew Allen spoke to the PZC about the store's security and how access in an out of the facility would work.
The nearest cannabis stores are the RISE Medical & Recreational Cannabis Dispensary in Orange, which is 1.6 miles away; Lit New Haven Dispensary on East Street in New Haven, which is about 4 miles away; Affinity Health & Wellness Dispensary on Whalley Avenue in New Haven, which is 4.1 miles away, and Insa Cannabis Dispensary on Sargent Drive in New Haven, which is 4.2 miles away,
According to the application, the interior of the building, which previously has been used as a bar and restaurant over the years, would be repurposed to accommodate the operation, with a pickup window for customers who previously had ordered online and a vault to store product when the store is closed.
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There would be 32 parking spaces, more than the 23 spaces required. Hours would be 8 a.m.-10 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays, with five employees working per shift. There would be no direct vehicular access to nearby residential neighborhoods, the application states.
"This use is consistent with the Plan of Conservation and Development" and would provide employment opportunities while the location also would benefit neighboring towns, the applicant told the PZC, according to the minutes.
Architect Sam Gardner said the building would be renovated, using about two-thirds of the space, with the other third remaining vacant for now.
Universal Hotel Liquidators, which has been in West Haven since 2012, recently announced that it is moving to the Meriden Mall.
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During the public comment section of the public hearing, Edward Samuels of Orne Street questioned how he could effectively speak without enough information.
Another speaker, Ethel Robbins, said that by continuing the application, the applicants would be able to move the front entrance to fit the regulations.
"This does not belong in West Haven," she said.
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Mark Zaretsky is a reporter with the New Haven Register. Zaretsky is a Chicago native and longtime New Haven resident and an award-winning reporter and music writer for the New Haven Register and Hearst Connecticut Media Group. His beats include East Haven and Branford, regional issues and occasional blues and roots music stories. He also makes a point of knowing where all the good ethnic and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, bars and bakeries are — and is an unapologetic Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls fan. In addition to his work as a journalist, Zaretsky is a front man for The Cobalt Rhythm Kings and The Chicago Dawgs and occasionally performs with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Mark Naftalin and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
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