Buffalo Grove to receive first recreational pot proposal Monday

Two weeks after Buffalo Grove approved zoning regulations allowing recreational marijuana, the village will hear its first proposal for a recreational dispensary.

PDI Medical, which already operates a medical marijuana dispensary in the village, wants to vacate its existing location at 1623 Barclay Blvd. and open both a medical and recreational dispensary in the Shops of Buffalo Grove at 830-840 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Buffalo Grove trustees will hear the proposal at Monday's village board meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. They will likely decide whether to refer the matter to the planning and zoning commission.

In 2015, the village granted PDI a special use for the medical dispensary. PDI would occupy a 4,900-square-foot space between Starbucks and T-Mobile stores.

In a letter to Buffalo Grove Deputy Village Manager Christopher Stilling, Joseph Caltabiano, president of Cresco Labs - which acquired PDI in 2019 - wrote that the proposed location has "more square footage" and will provide better public access.

Given the village board's recent vote, with only one dissenting member, and the application's adherence to Buffalo Grove's stringent zoning regulations regarding location in major commercial areas and well away from schools and day-care facilities, referral to the planning and zoning body seems almost certain.

"I think the location is perfect," said Trustee Joanne Johnson. "It's a busy business location. It fits in with our ordinance, being more than a 1,000 feet away from all of the uses that were listed in our ordinance."

Trustee Gregory Pike said of the zoning: "It's probably one of the strictest regulations, if not in the state, definitely in the county. We wanted to be the leader and make sure that what does go up is acceptable to our residents."

The recent board meeting where the regulations were approved featured overwhelming opposition from those who attended. Pike said, though, that he's gotten a more supportive view from residents who didn't attend the meeting.

"Through my interactions with residents walking door to door and also talking with people at grocery stores, there seems to be a lot of support for the village to get this one done," Pike said.