EAST PEORIA, Ill. — There will, for now, be no second cannabis dispensary in East Peoria.
Council voted unanimously Tuesday night not to approve the petition by Sorce Enterprises for the proposed business at 1501 N. Main St.
The 5-0 vote kept in accordance with the 4-0 recommendation by the Zoning Board of Appeals to deny the special use permit on a few different grounds.
“The parking is insufficient,” said Commissioner Mark Hill.
“Then, there was the other part about the congrestion or traffic flow in that frontage road as well as that intersection that adjoins that property.
“The property, overall, was not suited for overflow for parking, and that was one of the key considerations, but it was the entirety, including the impact to surrounding businesses.”
Director of Planning and Community Development Ty Livingston said the adjacent street is too narrow to accommodate overflow parking, and options are limited in adjacent properties.
Livingston also advised the council when the body voted to permit adult-use cannabis dispensaries, it did not do so with the intention of a cannabis business boom along one corridor, so approving that location may not have been in accordance with zoning ordinances.
Despite the no vote across the board, there was also a willingness across the board to help Sorce find a more suitable location.
“I’m not opposed to considering another dispensary. We have it in our city code to do so,” said Commissioner Daniel Decker.
“If there’s something in the future that doesn’t go against the zoning board, I will support that.”
Commissioner Seth Mingus echoed that sentiment.
“I don’t feel comfortable going against the ZBA, especially on a 4-0, but if you find a different location that’s acceptable, I would definitely entertain that,” Mingus told Sorce Enterprises Owner Roy Sorce, who was present at the meeting
Mayor John Kahl said the parties have had a “respectful” conversation about the process.
“Ty is going to work with you. We are definitely going to find an alternate location,” he said to Sorce.
“It’s not that we’re not supportive of your endeavor, it’s just that location is not a good location for it.”
Hill said the process of finding a more suitable location isn’t so much about time as it is about meeting criteria.
“One of the big things with the ordinance that gets to be the largest constraint is the 1,000-foot distance from certain types of businesses. That one is the one that becomes the limiting constraint,” he said.
“Places like daycares. That’s one example, but that’s the toughest thing to satisfy.”
The city’s code allows for a total of three dispensaries within city limits.
NuMed was granted the first and, according to Hill, was in the research phase to find a second suitable location.
