By David Fortier
The city council approved a cannabis establishment application for a hybrid facility that will be located in the space formerly occupied by Goodwill in the Shop Rite Plaza off Farmington Avenue, at a special meeting earlier this week.
“We put together an ordinance that had requirements and I know it could a foot race for some businesses,” said council member Cheryl Thibeault who joined the meeting virtually for the vote, “but we did say those that completed the requirements that we put [in place] and they did it first” would qualify.
She said that she would be voting yes.
Thibeault’s reference to first-come first-serve refers to other concerns who would like to enter the Bristol market. At the moment, Trulieve is the only hybrid facility, and it is on Farmington Ave. Attorneys for another concern, Curaleaf, had approached the city council at November’s regular meeting with their intentions to come to Bristol.
Curaleaf is an American-based cannabis company with locations in 18 states.
In Connecticut, hybrid facilities are licensed to sell cannabis and cannabis products to customers over 21 as well as medical marijuana products to patients and caregivers.
At the moment, Bristol is restricted to two hybrid facilities both by state statue and city ordinance. The state has set restrictions on the number of hybrid facilities according to numbers of residents. At the moment, the statute allows one hybrid facility per 20,000 residents.
However, state statutes allow community to opt out entirely, by banning these facilities, or by limiting the number.
With these stipulations to consider, the city council here has written into its ordinance that the number of hybrid facilities permitted here indefinitely will be restricted to two. The state will be reconsidering its current limits again in 2024.
The council also included in its ordinance the requirement that the city council must approve any facilities Typically, decisions about who can conduct business within the city is determined by zoning regulations. This makes Bristol’s ordinance unique.
When it came to the vote on Wednesday’s special meeting of the city council, Fine Fettle Dispensary received unanimous approval, with the mayor and council members in attendance, in person or online, all voting, yes. City council member Sebastian Panioto was not in attendance.
FFD operates hybrid facilities in Newington, Willimantic and Stamford, along with one dispensary in Manchester. In Massachusetts, the firm operates a dispensary on the North Shore. They are also the only cultivator and one of two retailers on Martha’s Vineyard. Recently, the firm received a license for a cultivation facility in Georgie, which allows an opportunity to build five dispensaries.
In addition, Fine Fettle is building a cultivation facility in Bloomfield. With the addition of this facility, Fine Fettle will employee as many as 350 workers across the state.
In Bristol, Fine Fettle will employ between 24 and 24 employees, with four full-time and possibly one part-time pharmacists, according to Benjamin Zachs, manager, who spent time fielding questions from council members prior to the vote.
Council members had specific concerns about security and the take-in process, since long lines outside the property and the presence of security personal might be off-putting.
In the Bristol facility, he said, clients will have to provide identification to enter the building and again once they are inside. Inside clients will find two sections–the sales floor and behind it the area where the product is prepared.
In response, Zachs reviewed both issues in some depth, underscoring several points, including a delivery schedule that is randomized, how the product will be stored in a 440 sq.-ft. vault and how the intake process is relatively smooth one that avoids long lines at the entrance and which avoids the negative impressions since its security is not outsourced.
“We know every single person who’s coming in,” Zachs said. “We know every employee, with a badge, in and out front, not only in each room but behind any door into the front office just behind our registers.”
The company complies with all regulations on security, he said.
“We just don’t employ an armed security guard or a security company,” he said. “It’s more of a personalized check.”
Zachs said that the hybrid facility would like to open by June, after all the permits have been approved and including the hiring of a general contractor and completing a rigorous 12-week inspection regiment.
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