Towing lot eyed for marijuana growing site in Rolling Meadows
A one-time concrete plant and existing towing yard on the north side of Rolling Meadows could soon become part of Illinois' burgeoning recreational marijuana industry.
The city council has given local special use approval that would allow Cultivate Change, LLC to open an adult use cannabis craft grower, processing and infusing facility at 3650 Berdnick St., should the company receive one of the coveted state licenses that could be doled out as soon as this month.
The company, headed by Chicago attorneys Tiffany Fordyce and Laura Luisi, has a long-term lease with Hillside Towing for the 3.84-acre property. The deal is conditioned on getting the state license.
Their plans call for a $4 million-$5 million redevelopment of the old industrial site, including construction of a 22,500-square-foot building that could double in size in later phases. Inside, a staff of 15 to 20 employees would grow marijuana. create concentrate products like wax and oil and make edible products.
They anticipate producing some 4,500 pounds of marijuana a year, to be sold to other growers, cultivation centers and dispensaries. Deliveries and shipments would be handled once a week in cargo vans.
Before a 6-1 vote to award the special use and other approvals Tuesday night, aldermen asked about any environmental impacts, pollution or odors. Luisi said there would be none, with the eventual goal of going pesticide-free.
"We've designed appropriate HVAC systems to ensure that nobody would really know from the outside of the facility what was happening on the inside," Luisi said.
Similarly, there would't be any signs identifying what type of business it is, and the property would be enclosed by an 8-foot-tall fence, trees and shrubbery.
Alderman Nick Budmats was the lone "no" vote, saying he's respecting the wishes of residents voiced objections to marijuana.
If approved by the state, the craft grower would join another marijuana business less than a mile away: Nature's Care, a dispensary at 975 Rohlwing Road. Both are in the industrial/commercial area south of the railroad tracks in Budmats' Ward 2.
Cultivate Change officials say site preparation would include removing an existing storage building, two trailers and concrete blocks scattered throughout the property. They'd also move utilities underground and construct a stormwater system. Final building plans would still be subject to council approval.