What will be the third dispensary in Forest Park has been approved at 7207 Roosevelt Road, making it the second marijuana business in four months that’s been okayed to open in town.
At the last village council meeting, commissioners unanimously voted to grant Mint IL LLC’s dispensary a conditional use permit. The permit allows the dispensary to open in a commercial district, whereas the village’s zoning code only allows dispensaries in industrially zoned areas.
While only one Forest Park resident gave public comment at the meeting, six attended a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in September to denounce the proposed dispensary. Among their anxieties were those about increased traffic in an area that already has safety concerns.
“This is easily one of the most dangerous areas for traffic in all of Forest Park,” said Jackie Walsh Lundt, who lives in the 1200 block of South Elgin Avenue, at the last village council meeting. “There have been constant accidents and incidents,” most recently on Nov. 13, when an accident in the intersection caused bumper-to-bumper traffic several blocks north.
“Daily, there are cars going the wrong way down our street, trying to avoid traffic at Harlem,” Walsh Lundt added.
In addition to her concern about the negative safety, traffic and parking impacts of the 2,000-square-foot dispensary, Walsh Lundt said the dispensary at this location paints the wrong picture.
“A cannabis dispensary next to a well-established pediatric dentist for the area might not be covered under the law as written, but common sense tells one that this is a bad idea,” she said. “If the requirements for locating a dispensary near a school is 500 feet, why does the village think that this location is the best fit for this type of business?”
Before voting to give the Mint dispensary a conditional use permit, every commissioner addressed residents’ worries.
“We [will] continue to work with business owners that have successfully done this to make sure that we are creating an environment that is receptive and responsive to residents’ concerns,” said Commissioner of Streets and Public Improvement Michelle Melin-Rogovin of those opening near high-traffic areas in town. “We don’t want to solve problems before they happen, but we’re going to let you know that we’re aware of the concern, and we’re going to be attentive to the needs of the people that live there.”
Melin-Rogovin added that village staff are working with the Traffic Safety Commission regarding safety concerns at the intersection of Harlem and Roosevelt. Melin-Rogovin, Director of the Department of Public Health and Safety Steve Glinke, and Police Chief Ken Gross are looking at traffic data collected from the intersection.
According to that data, the intersection saw 5% of Forest Park’s crashes last year, Glinke said.
In hopes that the corner’s new dispensary doesn’t add to that number, cars will only be able to exit the parking lot turning right on Harlem or right on Roosevelt.
At an October meeting where the PZC recommended the village council approve the dispensary’s conditional use permit, Omar Fakhouri – co-owner of Mint IL LLC, which operates a cannabis cultivation plant in Forest Park at 7550 Industrial Dr. – presented a traffic impact statement conducted by Kenig, Lindgren, O’Hara, Aboona Inc. of Rosemont. The statement found that the dispensary would increase traffic on adjacent roadways by less than 1%.
As for safety concerns as they might relate to crime, commissioners said, based on what they’ve seen from other dispensaries, there’s nothing that links marijuana businesses to increases in unwanted behavior. In fact, required measures like cameras, security and lighting often increase safety around a dispensary.
“We’re especially looking forward to that at a different location, where it’s more of an upgrade than a downgrade,” Commissioner of Public Health and Safety Ryan Nero said of security benefits at the corner of Harlem and Roosevelt.
But commissioners also alluded to Mint potentially being the last dispensary in town for a while.
“I think now might be a good time to sort of pause and see how these three establishments do, evaluate how it’s working in the community,” said Commissioner of Public Property Jessica Voogd. “I don’t believe that, the way our ordinance is written right now, there’s any sort of limit or cap. So I would just invite or welcome thinking about that and some discussion.”
Commissioner of Accounts and Finance Maria Maxham said she agreed completely with Voogd.
“I think there is going to be some cannibalization of the market, which obviously is going to impact the dispensary, not us necessarily as a village,” Maxham said. “But then there might not be enough incentive for them to want to stay open in this location.”
Maxham added that future discussions about capping the number of dispensaries in Forest Park are necessary because of the pressure commissioners often feel to pass something that the PZC has recommended they approve.
“We’re often told that, as a council, if we say no to something that gets approved conditionally through the PZC, then it puts us at legal risk of being sued because we said no to someone who met the requirements,” she said.
It remains to be seen when those discussions might take place. With the village council’s approval of the conditional use permit, the final green light for Mint’s dispensary will come from the state.
