As Voices has recently explained to its readers (Click Here) Teaneck’s Council chose on August 10, 2021 in Ordinance 29-2021 to allow two specific types of cannabis facilities as conditional uses in the Town’s Light Industrial District (which, in fact, is located on Alfred Avenue.) 4 months later, on December 12, 2021, Council had adopted a second “cannabis” ordinance (57-2021) which, among other things, significantly increased the number and variety of types of cannabis facilities which were allowed as conditional uses in that LI zone.
A year later Council passed Resolution 317-2022 which constituted demonstration of its support of the suitability of two LLC’s that had identified 455 Alfred Avenue to be used both to cultivate and to retail dispense cannabis as a suitable location. 11 more months passed.
In November 2023, those same two LLC’s proposed site plans for these two Cannabis facility projects – a cultivation/manufacturing facility and a recreational retail dispensary – both of which were formally proposed to be housed in that same facility at 455 Alfred Avenue. We now know that those initial plans were subsequently amended several times and then 3 months later, on February 28, 2024 the then Town zoning officer Daniel Melfi denied that application citing several aspects of the proposals that varied from the requirements of the Light Industrial Zone even as it had been modified.
A unique characteristic of that denial, Voices now knows, is that zoning officer Melfi decided that his denial of both proposed site plans should be heard as a single application – and that it should be heard by the Planning Board. As is routine, both LLC’s then (on 5/14/2024) submitted a site plan applications to be heard by the Planning Board.
What happened next is not explained. There was no public access to either that Melfi letter of denial nor the site plan application. Instead, the Council agenda, on May 21, 2024 proposed yet another cannabis ordinance (7-2024) – identified as an amendment to the 12/14/2021 one. A full hour of Council and G&W discussion ensued in which Council member Goldberg and Development Attorney Ash (sitting in for the absent Town Attorney) repeatedly assured both Council and the public that no zoning requirements were being changed – that the amendment was solely “administrative” and would raise cannabis licensee fees.
Again, months go by. Zoning officer Melfi had retired in June. Then, with no Town website coverage at all, a public notice – authored by the LLS’ attorney – showed up on 10/16 in the Bergen Record, a Township newspaper of record, announcing the site plan hearing for last week (October 26).
Since it was a noticed hearing that appeared the required 10-days prior to the hearing, Voices OPRA’d the materials promised in that public notice. On Tuesday afternoon 9/24 the Town website calendar reported that the PB meeting for 9/26 was cancelled. No notice of the hearing had by then – or now ever – appeared on the Town website.
At 5:26 pm on Thursday 9/26 we received the OPRA-requested public documents. We offer no explanation of what is happening – although there is an informal suggestion that a Planning Board may occur on 10/9 although if that were to be the case, the public notice would have to appear 10-days prior (i.e. 9/30).
Voices is immediately below making available to its readers the documents about this cannabis facility site plan – it denial and application and related materials – just received from the Township. We do not speculate as to what will come next.
Click Twice below
