Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer
Two cannabis dispensaries were approved by the Glens Falls Planning Board on March 5, but due to state guidelines, one is in pole position over the other.
Legacy Dispensary seeks to open at 12 Hudson Ave. in the building that Pizza Hut has long occupied but is vacating.
GF Cannabis Co. has plans at 72 South Street at the former Dizzy Chicken.
State rules specify that in a city like Glens Falls with a population less than 20,000, no adult-use retail dispensary license will be granted within a 2,000 foot radius of another premise for which a license of the same type has been issued.
Google Maps indicates the proposed dispensaries are just 603 feet apart, well within the 2,000 foot threshold.
Given these facts, the issue of which dispensary receives its license first from the state becomes paramount.
Legacy Dispensary, under the official application name R&R Cannabis LLC, received “pending proximity protection” from the state, meaning that no other dispensary could set up shop within 2,000 feet of Legacy, pending the approval of R&R’s overall application.
The Chronicle asked NYS Office of Cannabis Management Deputy Director of Communications Aaron Ghitelman why R&R was granted pending proximity protection ahead of GF Cannabis Co.
Hee said it was a matter of first come first serve; R&R got its location request in at a date before GF Cannabis Co. did.
Jody Cracco is pursuing GF Cannabis Co. with her daughter Brittany.
Asked by The Chronicle, how she feels about R&R being granted pending proximity protection, and if it’s making her change her plans, she responded, “At this time I don’t have any comment. There are a lot of things up in the air.”
She owns and her daughter is general manager of two ice cream shops, Dairy Haus in Saratoga and The Ice Cream Man in Greenwich. Jody lives in Lake George and Brittany lives in Glens Falls.
Legacy Dispensary founder Matt Robinson, who lives in Albany, said, “I do believe we will get final approval” from the state for the Glens Falls location. Legacy Dispensary already has a location in Colonie, which opened in February.
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