Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register
Though adult-use cannabis is now legal in Illinois, places to legally consume the much-buzzed about product are currently in short supply. But that could soon change as the Springfield City Council on Tuesday night approved a downtown pot shop’s request to allow on-site consumption in a lounge area connected to their retail operation.
The 9-1 vote appears to make Springfield the first city in Illinois to grant approval for controlled legal public consumption. As a result, HCI Alternatives (to be known as Illinois Supply & Provisions starting Jan. 27), 628 E. Adams Street, now has the right to host on-site consumption at their downtown location whenever ready and with a real chance for it to be the first-of-its-kind to open statewide.
Chris Stone, a policy advisor for HCI’s parent company, Ascend Wellness, said on-site consumption could be ready as soon as April. He said the hope is for the operation to serve as a model for future lounges across the state, though acknowledged that it’s very much a “beta test” since the concept has never been tried before in Illinois.
The state law, which gave people 21 and older the ability to legally possess, use and buy recreational cannabis in Illinois on Jan. 1, also allows on-site consumption at dispensaries, though it also gives municipalities the right to ban on-site consumption.
Zoning rules passed by the city council last year allow for on-site consumption in Springfield as a conditional permitted use, meaning that dispensaries that want on-site consumption must first receive approval from the council.
Reception for the on-site consumption premise received a largely warm reception from council members, who noted that the options to legally consume the product are currently lacking.
The lone ‘no’ vote came from Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who has been a vocal opponent of both allowing recreational sales and on-site consumption in town. McMemamin said he was worried about “the change of the character of our downtown” that could be caused by the activity and about safety concerns.
The 9,000-square foot on-site consumption area, connected to the dispensary via a hallway, could hold up to 150 people at a time, Stone said.
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Construction crews are currently working on the site, with interior demolitions already complete. Stone said the company is eyeing a March or April opening for the site. While on-site consumption is not currently in the plans there, things could change.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 