The Pennington Council will provide Cannique, LLC with a sought-after resolution of support to bring a retail cannabis establishment to Pennington.
However, the resolution of support will expire or be withdrawn if Cannique has not applied for a license from the Cannabis Regulatory Commission before May 2.
Council President Catherine “Kit” Chandler, Councilwoman Kati Angarone, Councilman Ken Gross, Councilman Charles Marciante, and Councilwoman Nadine Stern voted “yes” to approve the measure at a council meeting on March 7.
Councilwoman Deborah Gnatt was absent for the vote.
There was a consensus among the five council members present during the council discussion regarding the ranking of applicants seeking a resolution of support. Gnatt was absent for the discussion.
Cannique was the first choice, Fine Fettle was the second and Jersey Meds was the third.
“My only concern with Cannique is the amount of time it is going to take for them to get going. That is a concern because we do have two other viable options,” Chandler said. “We issue the one now in good faith and we hope that [Cannique] is able to get their business model and everything and they apply. If by our May meeting they do not apply to the state, we will issue a second letter of support.”
Stern, during the discussion, added that she does not think they want to choose a lesser option because of time and that the May deadline gives Cannique enough time to apply for the retail cannabis license.
“Five years from now we will have forgotten the time. Presumably [Cannique] is eager to get their business up and running,” Stern said. “It is to their advantage to move as quickly as they can. A number of people in that group have experience with municipalities and understanding zoning to some extent. To be fair if it is not enough time [Cannique] should not have presented themselves yet.”
The location for the Cannique retail cannabis dispensary would be at 144 W. Franklin Ave. in Pennington and is expected to be 2,400 square feet.
Cannique plans to build a freestanding structure.
The facility would have space for a prep room, cashier area with a pass-thru window at the rear, safe, office, counseling room, retail floor area, and entry vestibule and reception desk.