A Morris County start-up is planning to invest $1.5 million to open a medical marijuana dispensary two blocks away from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in the Lackawanna neighborhood.
Hillview Med has leased the 5,000-square-foot former Concentra Medical Center building on Levine Street for the dispensary, said Ken Vande Vrede, chief executive officer for the startup on Saturday afternoon.
“My grandfather delivered tomatoes here in Paterson 50 years ago. My dad was born in Paterson,” said Vrede. “One of the reasons I picked Paterson is because it’s close to my family’s heart.”
Vrede’s firm has applied for one of the six licenses New Jersey has made available. The New Jersey Department of Health has received 146 applications from 103 organizations for the licenses. The state was expected to announce the winning applicants on Nov. 1, but has delayed the selection process.