Albion seeks input about potential locations for cannabis dispensaries

Mayor says Save-A-Lot plaza, Hamilton Street are possibilities; Downtown seems off limits due to dispensaries not allowed near churches

ALBION – The Village of Albion Planning Board will take public comments during a hearing at 5 p.m. on Nov. 9 about potential locations for cannabis dispensaries. The hearing village be at the Village Hall, 35 East Bank St.

The Village Board voted on Oct. 21, 2021 to opt in and allow legal marijuana dispensaries. Albion officials at the time said allowing the marijuana sites will make it easier for local residents to get the product in town, instead of driving to other communities and possibly putting others at risk on the roadways.

Village Board members also cited the potential tax benefits for the village. The state will have a 13-cent excise tax per $1 on the marijuana sales, and the village will gets 3 of those cents per dollar.

The state at the time didn’t have regulations in place for those dispensaries. The regulations that have since been approved include buffer zones for the cannabis dispensaries. That keeps a cannabis business no closer than 500 feet of a school, or within 200 feet of a church or house of worship.

Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said there are five churches in the downtown area and that may keep the downtown from having a licensed cannabis dispensary.

Javier said the Save-A-Lot plaza on Route 31 and a site on Hamilton Street could be locations for licensed dispensaries. He said there will be several opportunities for  the community to weigh in on where a licensed cannabis retailer could be located in the village.