Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
A former Susquehanna Bank building in Edgewater is the next proposed site for a medical marijuana dispensary in Anne Arundel County.
Evolution Wellness LLC has submitted an application to open a dispensary in the former bank at 3005 Solomons Island Road. The 1.5-acre site is located on a commercial strip down the street from Lee Airpark
Although it is considered a permitted use, the venture must receive special exception approval from the county's administrative hearing officer before moving forward to ensure it meets the additional conditions the zoning code places on dispensaries. A hearing on the application is scheduled for June 8.
It's the second application Hearing Officer Douglas Clark Hollmann will consider for a dispensary in the county. In late April, he approved plans for the first proposed dispensary, to be located in a former tattoo parlor and Papa John's pizza restaurant on West Street in Annapolis.
Christopher Jensen, the CEO of Evolution Wellness, said he plans to renovate the existing bank building instead of tearing it down and rebuilding from scratch. If all goes smoothly with state and county approvals, he hopes to begin construction in the fall.
A portion of the property located within the Critical Area will not be disturbed, according to the application.
Jensen said the sturdiness and security of a bank added to the building's appeal as a home for the potential dispensary. Updates to the architecture might include "some opening up to get natural light in there."
"It's not going to stand out — it's going to look very professional," he said.
Jensen, an attorney turned entrepreneur who has worked as a mentor with the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, Howard County's business incubator, said his experience as a cancer survivor was one thing that led him to the medical cannabis industry, which is just getting its start in the state.
"We're running a medical facility," he said of the Evolution Wellness proposal. "This will not be a stoner vibe; this will be a professional environment."
The business' team also includes Melanie Galloway, the former director of Crownsville's Serenity Acres drug rehabilitation clinic. Galloway, who will serve as Evolution Wellness' chief operational officer, wrote in an opinion article for The Hill last year that medical cannabis "has significant, untapped potential to curb our state's and our country's addiction to opioids."
Evolution Wellness was one of 12 businesses awarded a dispensary license in December to operate in Anne Arundel. The county has some of the strictest regulations on medical cannabis growers, processors and dispensers in the state.
Under Anne Arundel zoning law, no two dispensaries may be located within a mile of each other and the stores cannot display marijuana or hire a physician to write prescriptions on-site. They must also post "No Loitering" signs and have access to an arterial road.
The Evolution Wellness application argues the business meets all those standards. It is not subject to a 1,000-foot setback from schools and residences because it is not located north of U.S. 50 or north of the northeast shore of the South River
But the proposal stands to face opposition from at least one neighborhood group. Drugfree Edgewater has been circulating fliers urging nearby residents to attend the hearing and oppose the dispensary.
Jensen said he wants to be a good neighbor to nearby businesses and residents.
"We want to have a very positive community impact," he said. "I really do want to be an open book for the community and have the community feel like they can approach us."
The June 8 hearing for Evolution Wellness is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in room 161 of the Arundel Center, 44 Calvert St. in Annapolis.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana dispensary proposed in Edgewater - Capital Gazette
Author: Amanda Yeager
Contact: Contact Us - Capital Gazette
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Home - Capital Gazette
Evolution Wellness LLC has submitted an application to open a dispensary in the former bank at 3005 Solomons Island Road. The 1.5-acre site is located on a commercial strip down the street from Lee Airpark
Although it is considered a permitted use, the venture must receive special exception approval from the county's administrative hearing officer before moving forward to ensure it meets the additional conditions the zoning code places on dispensaries. A hearing on the application is scheduled for June 8.
It's the second application Hearing Officer Douglas Clark Hollmann will consider for a dispensary in the county. In late April, he approved plans for the first proposed dispensary, to be located in a former tattoo parlor and Papa John's pizza restaurant on West Street in Annapolis.
Christopher Jensen, the CEO of Evolution Wellness, said he plans to renovate the existing bank building instead of tearing it down and rebuilding from scratch. If all goes smoothly with state and county approvals, he hopes to begin construction in the fall.
A portion of the property located within the Critical Area will not be disturbed, according to the application.
Jensen said the sturdiness and security of a bank added to the building's appeal as a home for the potential dispensary. Updates to the architecture might include "some opening up to get natural light in there."
"It's not going to stand out — it's going to look very professional," he said.
Jensen, an attorney turned entrepreneur who has worked as a mentor with the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, Howard County's business incubator, said his experience as a cancer survivor was one thing that led him to the medical cannabis industry, which is just getting its start in the state.
"We're running a medical facility," he said of the Evolution Wellness proposal. "This will not be a stoner vibe; this will be a professional environment."
The business' team also includes Melanie Galloway, the former director of Crownsville's Serenity Acres drug rehabilitation clinic. Galloway, who will serve as Evolution Wellness' chief operational officer, wrote in an opinion article for The Hill last year that medical cannabis "has significant, untapped potential to curb our state's and our country's addiction to opioids."
Evolution Wellness was one of 12 businesses awarded a dispensary license in December to operate in Anne Arundel. The county has some of the strictest regulations on medical cannabis growers, processors and dispensers in the state.
Under Anne Arundel zoning law, no two dispensaries may be located within a mile of each other and the stores cannot display marijuana or hire a physician to write prescriptions on-site. They must also post "No Loitering" signs and have access to an arterial road.
The Evolution Wellness application argues the business meets all those standards. It is not subject to a 1,000-foot setback from schools and residences because it is not located north of U.S. 50 or north of the northeast shore of the South River
But the proposal stands to face opposition from at least one neighborhood group. Drugfree Edgewater has been circulating fliers urging nearby residents to attend the hearing and oppose the dispensary.
Jensen said he wants to be a good neighbor to nearby businesses and residents.
"We want to have a very positive community impact," he said. "I really do want to be an open book for the community and have the community feel like they can approach us."
The June 8 hearing for Evolution Wellness is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in room 161 of the Arundel Center, 44 Calvert St. in Annapolis.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana dispensary proposed in Edgewater - Capital Gazette
Author: Amanda Yeager
Contact: Contact Us - Capital Gazette
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Home - Capital Gazette
