Medical marijuana dispensary proposed for Algonquin
Algonquin officials are considering a medical marijuana company's proposal to open a dispensary in a medical office complex.
ILDISP III LLC, represented by Ross Morreale, is seeking a special-use permit for a free-standing building at 1154 N. Main St., out of which the company would sell marijuana to patients with a prescription.
An attached garage would also be added onto the building, which formerly housed an MRI center, as a secure area for deliveries and waste removal, according to the proposal.
The village's planning and zoning commission voted 4-1 this week to approve the project. Trustees are expected to view the proposal at an upcoming meeting, community development director Russ Farnum said.
A state pilot program for medical marijuana, which began in 2014 and expires at the end of the year, limits the number of licenses distributed to dispensaries throughout Illinois. One license is available for a dispensary in McHenry County, according to village documents.
If the village board accepts ILDISP III's proposal at the municipal level, Farnum said, company representatives would then petition the state for approval this spring.
"This is a good location from the village's point of view because it's fairly central to the majority of the population in McHenry County," he said. "It also provides convenience for Kane County and Lake County people who don't necessarily live close to where their dispensaries are."
Morreale represents several other medical marijuana facilities throughout Illinois and is familiar with state regulations and safety procedures, Farnum said. The proposed Algonquin dispensary would be in an easily accessible area with high visibility for police monitoring, he added, helping to "prevent any spinoff crime from occurring."
The dispensary would sell smokable marijuana, as well as marijuana-infused edible items, oils and other products. Paraphernalia would also be available, though all products are restricted to patients or their caregivers.