POLICE DISTRICT 6 — There can only be one medicinal marijuana cultivation center in Illinois State Police District 6, but several local lawmakers think their community is the right fit.
Both LeRoy and Farmer City are gearing up efforts to entice medicinal marijuana cultivation operations to their towns.
The allure: economic growth. Facilities are said to be accompanied by as many as 60 to 100 job opportunities and large spikes in property tax revenues.
While small towns are not the most sought after in terms of dispensaries, rural land is better better suited to fulfill cultivation center guidelins set by the state on July 18.
The rules to open a grow facility will require background checks, financial assurances, hefty permit fees and proof potential growers have secured appropriately zoned properties that meet stringent state requirements. There will be constant surveillance on all facilities as well.
Cultivation centers cannot be within 2,500 feet of residential areas, preschools, elementary schools, secondary schools or daycare facilities.
“This is a real estate business,” Said Adam Bierman, managing partner of MedMen, a business consulting firm for the marijuana industry. “The zoning in this industry is more restrictive than any industry I’ve ever heard of. It makes strip clubs look like grocery stores. When we start working with clients, the first thing we do is real estate.”
On Monday, LeRoy took another step toward making such a plot of land a reality outside of town.
In the wake of a quiet July 10 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, the LeRoy Council unanimously approved a change of zoning to agricultural for two parcels of land south of where Morningside Drive ends in the Pleasant Valley development.
The parcels, one nearly 29 acres and the other 53 acres, were zoned residential and could revert back to residential if the business decides to locate elsewhere.
The council also altered the allowable uses of agriculturally-zoned areas to include greenhouses. Previously, the allowed uses included “agricultural uses, parks and recreation areas, single-family residences accessory to agricultural operations.”
In Farmer City, conversations are also ongoing. City Manager Larry Woliung said the city owns 20 acres property on the Northwest corner of the Interstate 74 and Route 54 interchange that is zoned commercial. He also noted that it would not prevent another commercial business from moving in next to the facility if all of the acreage is not in use.
“An opportunity for 60 jobs would be huge for Farmer City,” Woliung said, adding that he is unsure if the group he is in contact with is the same that has contacted LeRoy.
Woliung boasts the dependability of Farmer City’s municipal electricity as another alluring aspect for the business to come to town, but he has also noted that the city of Rockford, about 160 miles north of the area, is also toward the top of the list for those in charge of the unnamed potential grow operation with which he has been in contact.
Still, rules say only one community can house a weed growing facility in each police district, and LeRoy and Farmer City both sit within District 6, which includes McLean and Livingston counties and a portion of Dewitt County and is headquartered in Pontiac.
Although the rules were just recently finalized, many serious applicants are already a year into preparation, according to Bierman, which is why central Illinois has been abuzz with rumors as to who is in the running for such a facility.
Discussions in area communities began popping up in early June, which is when Farmer City, LeRoy, Downs and several other communities in the Central Illinois were contacted. The Downs Village Board showed interest, but space in the village is limited, and at least one board member found the possibility unlikely.
There are now 23 states with legal medicinal policies, and Bierman’s firm has led clients through the process in several of them. He said he expects about 300 applicants total for the 81 business licenses (21 cultivation and 60 dispensary) in Illinois.
Jenkins said last month the possible $13 million facility will include a three-acre greenhouse and two 40,000 square foot warehouses, while council member Greg Steffen noted the property taxes for the city could amount to $38,000, with an additional $235,000 for the school district.
The rumors are abundant, but sites and licenses are scarce. For area towns, it is all about taking necessary steps.
“We are doing what we can,” Jenkins said.
Once those steps are taken, only waiting remains.
Tracy Moss and Jeff Zogg contributed reporting to this article
Where will the weed grow? LeRoy, Farmer City hope to land cannabis farm
No comments:
Post a Comment