Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Progressive Treatment Solutions LLC, which won the metro-east's only state license to grow medical marijuana, is considering a site in East St. Louis for the construction of its cannabis cultivation center, according to City Manager Deletra Hudson.
Hudson attended a presentation last fall that Progressive Treatment Solutions and its consultants gave, detailing some of the firm's plans for building a cultivation center in the Goose Hill neighborhood of the city, Hudson said Tuesday.
One proposed location for the site would be on a parcel of land west of Illinois 3 and north of Interstate 64, north of downtown East St. Louis.
"I heard that at one point, but I don't know if that's been verified yet," Hudson said.
Christine Heck, a Chicago-area podiatrist who is listed as Progressive's chief executive officer, did not return calls and emails seeking comment.
Kayvan Khalatbari, an executive with a firm called Denver Relief Consulting, and listed as Progressive's cannabis operations adviser, also did not return calls and emails seeking comment.
Before Progressive can build a marijuana farm in East St. Louis under the state's pilot program, the firm must make a presentation to the East St. Louis City Council, which must approve a zoning request to build an agricultural operation in the city.
"Before it can be established as to what is the final location, we will have to make sure that zoning is proper," Hudson said.
Hudson acknowledged some potential concerns about a marijuana farm coming to her town, but she looked to the advent of legalized medical cannabis with hope and optimism.
"My concern is the city has the right regulations along with the state to regulate the cultivation centers and the dispensaries," she said. "And as long as those guidelines are set and we make sure those guidelines can be followed, I believe it can be a positive thing for the area and for the municipalities that have been granted these licenses. And definitely for the city of East St. Louis."
If Progressive gets the green light to build a marijuana farm, it will be located only a few miles from the region's first medicinal marijuana dispensary. The firm TGS Illinois has announced it plans to open a dispensary by mid-summer in a medical office complex next door to GCS Ball Park, the home of the Gateway Grizzlies minor league baseball team, in the nearby village of Sauget.
TGS Illinois received its state license two weeks ago. The retail cannabis outlet, which will sell only marijuana grown in Illinois, will be housed in a new, free-standing 8,000-square-foot, one-story building that is expected to be erected and open six months from now, said Tanya Griffin, vice president of operations for TGS Illinois, which also received a dispensary license for a site in Normal.
The state's medical marijuana program allows two dispensaries in the metro-east and one cultivation center.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: EAST ST. LOUIS: Medical marijuana grower eyeing East St. Louis for cultivation site | Metro-east news | News Democrat
Author: Mike Fitzgerald
Contact: mfitzgerald@bnd.com
Photo Credit: Alchimia Web
Website: News, sports and weather for Belleville, IL | Belleville News-Democrat & bnd.com
Hudson attended a presentation last fall that Progressive Treatment Solutions and its consultants gave, detailing some of the firm's plans for building a cultivation center in the Goose Hill neighborhood of the city, Hudson said Tuesday.
One proposed location for the site would be on a parcel of land west of Illinois 3 and north of Interstate 64, north of downtown East St. Louis.
"I heard that at one point, but I don't know if that's been verified yet," Hudson said.
Christine Heck, a Chicago-area podiatrist who is listed as Progressive's chief executive officer, did not return calls and emails seeking comment.
Kayvan Khalatbari, an executive with a firm called Denver Relief Consulting, and listed as Progressive's cannabis operations adviser, also did not return calls and emails seeking comment.
Before Progressive can build a marijuana farm in East St. Louis under the state's pilot program, the firm must make a presentation to the East St. Louis City Council, which must approve a zoning request to build an agricultural operation in the city.
"Before it can be established as to what is the final location, we will have to make sure that zoning is proper," Hudson said.
Hudson acknowledged some potential concerns about a marijuana farm coming to her town, but she looked to the advent of legalized medical cannabis with hope and optimism.
"My concern is the city has the right regulations along with the state to regulate the cultivation centers and the dispensaries," she said. "And as long as those guidelines are set and we make sure those guidelines can be followed, I believe it can be a positive thing for the area and for the municipalities that have been granted these licenses. And definitely for the city of East St. Louis."
If Progressive gets the green light to build a marijuana farm, it will be located only a few miles from the region's first medicinal marijuana dispensary. The firm TGS Illinois has announced it plans to open a dispensary by mid-summer in a medical office complex next door to GCS Ball Park, the home of the Gateway Grizzlies minor league baseball team, in the nearby village of Sauget.
TGS Illinois received its state license two weeks ago. The retail cannabis outlet, which will sell only marijuana grown in Illinois, will be housed in a new, free-standing 8,000-square-foot, one-story building that is expected to be erected and open six months from now, said Tanya Griffin, vice president of operations for TGS Illinois, which also received a dispensary license for a site in Normal.
The state's medical marijuana program allows two dispensaries in the metro-east and one cultivation center.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: EAST ST. LOUIS: Medical marijuana grower eyeing East St. Louis for cultivation site | Metro-east news | News Democrat
Author: Mike Fitzgerald
Contact: mfitzgerald@bnd.com
Photo Credit: Alchimia Web
Website: News, sports and weather for Belleville, IL | Belleville News-Democrat & bnd.com
