Nyack approves new cannabis dispensary location rules after heated debate
The new law prevents recreational dispensaries from opening within 2,000 feet of each other.
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The Village of Nyack's Board of Trustees voted yes Thursday night on a new set of restrictions governing where recreational cannabis dispensaries can operate, a decision made after a heated and divided public hearing.
The new law prevents recreational dispensaries from opening within 2,000 feet of each other. Current state law varies the distance based on population, while this would keep the village aligned with the largest distance. Mayor Joseph Rand says this effectively limits the number of recreational dispensaries in the downtown area to just one.
“This is a fair compromise between the three that are allowed [potentially] by state law and the none that should be allowed according to some people who are anti-cannabis,” said Rand.
Some residents supported the decision, some felt the restrictions didn’t go far enough, and others argued the village should have delayed the vote for more discussion.
The law also keeps dispensaries a state-mandated distance from schools and houses of worship. Medical dispensaries are exempt, and one is already expected to open downtown.
Nyack resident Chaya Pilla voiced concern, saying, “The states minimum distance requirements are simply not strong enough to protect our village or our youth from the negative impacts it can bring. It’s disheartening.”
Placing a dispensary in an area that is walking accessible to youth has been a major point for those against the dispensaries in downtown from the beginning.
But others, like David Soderlund, disagreed.
“I keep hearing a lot about how a business that hasn’t even opened up yet can cause harm to our children. It’s a retail establishment, it’s going to have retail hours, it’s going to be very tightly regulated.”
Rand noted that the village expects to collect about $400,000 in dispensary tax revenue this year. While Nyack already has a nearby dispensary, it’s located outside the central pedestrian area.
This decision marks another chapter in a long-running and contentious debate over cannabis in the village and the conversation is far from over.
