Downers Grove OKs recreational marijuana sales

Downers Grove village commissioners narrowly voted to allow recreational marijuana businesses to operate within the village.

The council voted 4-3 Tuesday on three ordinances. Two dealt with zoning and taxation for potential cannabis businesses. The remaining one repealed the village's December 2019 ordinance that had prohibited recreational cannabis sales.

Up to three cannabis establishments can apply to Downers Grove for a special use permit to operate in two manufacturing districts: the Ellsworth Business Park and an area north of Butterfield Road near the town's northern border.

Both districts were previously zoned to allow for only medicinal cannabis dispensaries. Any cannabis businesses would need to be 1,300 feet away from schools, parks and day care centers.

Downers Grove also adopted a 3% tax on retail cannabis sales, the maximum rate allowed by Illinois statute. The tax will go into effect on July 1.

On each ordinance, commissioners Greg Hosé, Leslie Sadowski-Fugitt, Rich Kulovany and Mayor Bob Barnett voted in favor. Meanwhile, commissioners Marge Earl, Cavanaugh L. Gray and Nicole Walus all voted in opposition.

Hosé said he was unaware of any cannabis businesses currently seeking to locate to Downers Grove.

"If somebody in the market would like to operate in Downers Grove, we're open to the idea," Hosé said. "They need to obviously meet all the state requirements and all of our local requirements."