West Dundee taking steps to allow recreational marijuana sales

A set of recommended regulations for allowing a recreational cannabis dispensary in West Dundee has received early support from the village board.

The proposed zoning amendment would permit one retail operation as a special use in the service business zoning district along the Route 31 corridor, according to village documents. The shop could not be within 250 feet of the property lines of schools, day cares or residential areas, among other limitations.

Trustees last week unanimously approved passing along the measure to the planning and zoning commission, initiating the village's formal zoning process. After a public hearing and recommendation from the panel, the proposal will go back to the village board for final consideration.

Should the zoning change be approved, any potential retailer still would need to go through a separate approval process to be granted a special use.

"We want to be able to manage it responsibly, and I think this puts us in a position to do that," Village President Chris Nelson said. "That doesn't mean the opening of a dispensary is imminent."

The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act legalizes the adult use and possession of marijuana for Illinois residents ages 21 and older starting Jan. 1. The law allows municipalities to regulate the zoning of related retail operations, or ban sales altogether.

In West Dundee, recommended parameters include limiting the dispensary's hours to 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., banning on-site consumption, prohibiting drive-through windows and restricting deliveries to a rear entrance. Other types of marijuana operations, such as cultivation centers or lounges, will not be allowed.

The proposed regulations were supported by the police department and other village staff members, Nelson said. He said any future recreational marijuana business will be held to the same level of scrutiny as any new retail use.

"We had a board that was cognizant of the changes at the state level, recognizing that we could allow for it and still kind of control how it's retailed," Nelson said. "I think from the staff level to the board level, there was concurrence. It was a rather smooth process."