The Raritan Borough Planning Board approved Valley Wellness's site plan with variances in April after the borough council passed an ordinance permitting Valley Wellness, a medical marijuana dispensary on U.S. Route 202, to expand into the recreational cannabis business.
However, since recreation would mean more business and customers, borough residents are uneasy about the board granting Valley Wellness a parking variance for the second time.
“It is one thing if you are short of parking,” said resident Roger Copt at the council meeting on May 2. “But 75%? Is that really acceptable? The planning board has created a parking nightmare.”
The planning board approved Valley Wellness’s original site plan as a medical marijuana dispensary with a parking variance in May 2022. The ordinance for medical parking required one space per 125 square feet of interior space, meaning they needed to provide 40 parking spaces.