Hoboken Cannabis Review Board

The controversial application from Story Dispensary to open a recreational cannabis dispensary in Hoboken was to be discussed at a Planning Board meeting Monday night, Sept. 19, after being continued from the Aug. 11 meeting.

Now that cannabis dispensaries are allowed in Hoboken, several such businesses have applied to open in the mile-square city, both for medical and recreational use.

Dispensaries must get the approval of the state, the city's Cannabis Review Board, and the local Planning Board.

On Monday, the city’s Cannabis Review Board OK’d Terrapin’s request to offer recreational cannabis alongside medical marijuana in its not-yet-opened storefront at 86 River Street.

According to the plans filed with the board, Terrapin will occupy a 5,000 square-foot space on the first floor of the building. The proposed total occupancy, including employees, will be 48 people and the store will have a large waiting room to accommodate customers.

A medical cannabis dispensary licensed to operate in Hoboken is hoping to get approval to sell marijuana to any adult 21 years and older.

On Monday, the city’s Cannabis Review Board is scheduled to review Terrapin’s request to offer recreational cannabis alongside medical marijuana in its not-yet-opened storefront at 86 River Street.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be streamed online. Click here for the agenda and details on how to tune in.

Hoboken’s Cannabis Review Board signed off on another proposed retail cannabis business, which is seeking to open in the city’s North End.

During a virtual meeting Monday night, the 3-person board OK-ed an application filed by The Jersey Joint LLC, allowing the proposal to proceed to the next step in the process — Planning Board approval.

Residents who live above Hoboken’s Hudson Tavern, a defunct bar, are coming out against the cannabis dispensary plan that has received preliminary approval from the city’s cannabis review board.

“We believe there are serious drawbacks to putting an adult Recreational Cannabis Dispensary that will operate 13 hours a day in a building where children and families live,” said Leslie Bradley, a resident of 51-53 14th Street.

During a virtual meeting Thursday night, the board OK-ed an application filed by Village Hoboken, LLC, allowing the proposal to proceed to the next step in the process — Planning Board approval.

At the meeting, only two members of the three-person board were present — Council President Michael Russo and Business Administrator Jason Freeman.

Yilung Huang, the applicant and longtime owner of Pho Nomenon, told the board that the COVID-19 pandemic “really hurt retail businesses” and that he has spent the past two years “struggling mentally and physically.”

Hoboken is taking steps to limit the number of cannabis dispensaries that can open in the city, as well as where those business can set up shop.

The city council voted 7-2 during its meeting last week to introduce an ordinance that would tighten the current zoning laws for medical and recreational marijuana businesses, with Councilman Joe Quintero and Council President Mike Russo opposed.

The proposed changes would:

On February 24, 2022, The Cannabis Review Board approved the city’s first recreational cannabis retail shop that will be located on 51-53 14th Street. Story Dispensary of Hoboken, LLC will replace what was previously Hudson Tavern and will have a 6,000 square foot blueprint on the first floor and basement. According to the application brought before the board, the shop will be open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and staffed by 10-20 employees.

After Hoboken's relatively new Cannabis Review Board approved a non-medical dispensary Thursday and considered applications of two others, some residents who were frustrated with the approval process have posted an online petition.

Also as a result of that debate, one of the other two applicants — Blue Violets Dispensary — posted a message to the community last week about its application to open on Washington Street (see more on that below). And Mayor Ravi Bhalla has now suggested limiting the number of dispensaries to six within the mile-square city.

“After a careful review of the ordinance, I believe that we should make the following amendments to our cannabis ordinances,” Bhalla said.

The mayors recommended changes are:

Capping the number of dispensaries (medical and recreational) to a maximum of six and a maximum of three in each of the citys six wards.