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Request for second pot shop near Woodfield withdrawn

A request to locate a second recreational pot shop near Woodfield Mall - in the Bar Louie building at Golf and Meacham roads - was withdrawn Tuesday, ending its race with a competitor to prohibit the other under state law due to their proximity.

But the longtime co-owner of the restaurant site at 1160 Plaza Drive scheduled further talks with village officials about keeping his requested rezoning in progress to enable greater flexibility there in a market he said had changed even before the pandemic.

A proposed Windy City Cannabis was pursuing both a special-use permit and the required rezoning to occupy the 8,059-square-foot building.

But two weeks ago, rival dispensary Sunnyside received its special-use permit to occupy an 8,640-square-foot space in the appropriately zoned Woodfield Gatherings outlot development just to the east at 1739 E. Golf Road.

Because the sites are less than 1,500 feet apart, whichever one operated first would prohibit the other from operating at all under Illinois law.

Representatives of Sunnyside said they planned to have their dispensary open by the late summer or fall.

While the village's planning staff had supported both requests for special-use permits, it and the zoning board of appeals recommended against rezoning the Bar Louie site.

The village's policy on rezoning is that such requests, given their long-term impact, should not be granted based only on a current proposal.

Schaumburg Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald said changing the Bar Louie site from a planned office to a general business zoning classification would not only affect that building but also two others on the same property.

Though initially closed at the start of COVID-19 safety protocols, Bar Louie recently reopened for curbside pickup service, Schaumburg Economic Development Director Matt Frank said.

Tim Gallagher, co-owner of the site, asked to speak with the village board about rezoning at its June 16 committee of the whole meeting.

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