New Lenox trustees Monday reversed a ban on recreational cannabis sales, clearing the way for a marijuana dispensary should one wish to open in town.
“There has been interest from a few perspective businesses, but nothing is firm yet,” Mayor Tim Baldermann said.
The Village Board voted unanimously to allow for one dispensary within certain commercially zoned areas. The change also allows for one cultivation center in areas zoned for light industrial uses. Both would require a special use permit and Village Board approval.
Contrary to the board’s 2019 vote to ban recreational sales that drew a standing-room-only crowd, no one attended Monday’s meeting to speak for or against the proposed change.
Other communities, such as Naperville, have reversed bans on recreational cannabis sales. In December, Oak Forest trustees approved the village’s first special use permit for a recreational dispensary. The dispensary, which would be located on West 159th Street, must still get site approval from the state, according to Oak Forest City Administrator Tim Kristin.
Though recreational cannabis sales have been legal in Illinois since 2020, New Lenox trustees voted 5-2 to ban recreational sales within village limits. Baldermann said the village initially banned the sales and took a “wait and see” approach much like it did when the state legalized video gambling.
In December, when trustees initially discussed allowing cannabis sales, Baldermann said changing the ordinance would give the village control over dispensary operations.
“If we have it, we want to be able to control it in terms of what it looks like, what type of security is in place,” he said.
Allowing for recreational sales opens the door for a new revenue stream. Under state law, municipalities can collect a 3% sales tax on the retail sale of cannabis sold in their community. However, the village’s restricted zoning regulations only allow for one dispensary and cultivation center.
“We’re not just opening it up for numerous ones,” Village Administrator Kurt Carroll said.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
