In November, the CB3 task force is meeting on two evenings — Nov. 9 (at the Houston Street Center, Double Classrooms 2 & 3 — 273 Bowery) and Nov. 13 (The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, 107 Suffolk St.).
With 20-plus applicants on the docket this month, we asked CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer questions about the process and the community and the Board's role in the applications.
"This process is labor intensive, and we are not receiving much guidance from the state," Stetzer said. "We've requested a 30-day extension for each application, as we won't have time to complete each one within the State's required 30-day turnaround period. No one has sat down with us to ask us what we need."
The following responses were condensed for length and clarity.
Why are so many cannabis applications now going before the Community Board?
OCM has a three-month window for applications right now, and it's a lottery system, so maybe there is a rush and some multiple applications. Also, there is a minimum 1,000-feet-apart rule, so once one location is pulled, no one else nearby can be accepted. Since this is a lottery system, it's not drawn in order of application.
Is this a similar role to liquor licenses?
No, we wish it were! The State Liquor Authority application process has been honed, streamlined, and refined over the years. For example, the applications have landlord, contact names, and phone numbers listed, and these do not. So we don't have a direct contact. And we don't have much in the way of guidance.
And why are there so many cannabis applicants?
We have an easier time of it. Community Board 2 [which covers Soho, Noho, Greenwich Village, and the West Village] has 70 applicants, and another Community Board has 90 applicants.
Will this be a monthly process?
This will last for three months as there is a three-month window for applicants to apply to OCM.
Is CB3 going to form a new committee for this?
This newly formed committee has previously heard Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries licensing; these new applications are for adult recreational usage.
What part does the Community Board play in this new field?
We don’t know!
What are the presentations that the applicants put together?
The questionnaires are posted on the CB3 website [link
here] so people can read them and attend the meetings to ask questions.
Why are there two separate groups/dates/locations?
They are grouped by location — east and west sides of the CB3 area. We did this to make it easier for the residents who live in those areas.
Does order of appearance have any significance?
No. Mostly, they were grouped by address, but the order of appearance can change. We try to accommodate people's schedules, which can change at the last minute and lead to order shuffling.
What part does restorative justice play in these applications?
None. This is separate from CAURD justice-impacted licensing.
Why are there multiple license requests from the same listed address?
Not sure. The rules don't specify anything about location or lease before coming to the community board.
Are these in-person meetings only? No zoom access?
The locations available don't have hybrid services. No resources or equipment for Zoom. One has a cut-off time of 9:30 p.m. and the other 10:30 p.m., so we hope we can get to all the applicants listed.
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