The Walmart property vacant since the retailer left about two years ago has been spoken for, and rumors circulating around town have come mostly true.
Mayor Betty Ann Fort said during the Township Committee’s Tuesday, Sept. 3, meeting, that Chicago-based Verano Holdings had purchased the property on Route 22 West, not far from the Branchburg border.
Two Monmouth County communities have moved forward on plans this summer to support a dispensary within their borders if licensed by New Jersey's medical marijuana program.
The Freehold Borough Council voted unanimously on Aug. 19 to support a facility proposed by Garden State Botanicals at a site on Throckmorton Street. The plan still needs approval from the state Department of Health.
As the state works to expand access to medical marijuana, Clinton is the latest Hunterdon town to be eyed as a potential outlet for the drug.
Flemington approved a resolution last month supporting applications for an “Alternative Treatment Center,” which is what the state calls a provider of medical marijuana. At the Borough Council meeting, Council and the public heard a presentation by Bob Pease and Jonathon Goldrath, who represent Altus New Jersey, LLC, a company planning to seek a state license to dispense marijuana.
Correction: An earlier version of the story said the state was looking at Flemington as a location for a future cannabis business. The state has made no indication that one town has an advantage over any other.
Starting Monday, the state Division of Medicinal Marijuana will open up the application process to those seeking to operate a medical marijuana dispensary in portions of New Jersey.
This action comes on the heels of the Flemington Borough Council voting 3-1 on June 24 to endorse the installment of a medical marijuana dispensary in Hunterdon County.