After a lengthy permitting and construction process, a new medical cannabis dispensary is expected to open at 212-214 California St. by mid-August. A collection of 12 cannabis delivery services is hoping to set up shop upstairs as well; a hearing on that subject is scheduled for August 6th, and a permit ultimately will be needed from the SF Department of Public Health.
Representatives and owners of the on-premises dispensary, CBD Wellness Solutions, met with neighbors back in August 2013 to address concerns. Despite some opposition, the Planning Commission approved it in September 2013 (see full documentation here), and the space has been in the permitting and buildout process ever since.
The dispensary took over part of a space formerly occupied by WestAmerica Bank; its strip of California houses a number of popular restaurants, including Barbacco, Perbacco, Tadich Grill, Michael Mina and Pabu.
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
CBD Wellness Solutions, which also operates Sonoma Medicinal Herbs (3403 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa), will lease 1,975 square feet in the back of the building, unseen from the street and with a separate lobby entrance. The space will include a retail area, employee break room, lounge and restrooms; no plants will be grown on-site. The dispensary will sell smokeable cannabis, edibles, and a cannabis-based cream for pain relief (which does not provide the typical high of cannabis that's smoked or eaten). A medical cannabis card will be required for entry.
Tony Kim, a land-use planner and consultant for CBD Wellness Solutions, said the landlord is still negotiating to fill the roughly 1,000-square-foot space fronting California Street. “We are all hoping a cafe or something related to food and snacks will occupy that,” Kim said.
Construction is complete, and the dispensary has its permit for final use of occupancy, Kim said. The staff will install cameras in the front and rear of the building, and hire a cleaning service and security. "There will be someone patrolling the area," he said, and that person will be in contact with SFPD if any issues arise.
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
In addition to the dispensary, a group of 12 cannabis-delivery services hope to occupy the second floor. Attorney Brendan Hallinan said the landlord wants to provide office space for the delivery services, most of which are operating without a permit, due to city bureaucracy.
"It’s cumbersome to go through the process," Hallinan said. The city requires "the same qualifications as a storefront does, even though there aren’t customers coming and going," and delivery services are required to submit to the same permitting process and fees. "It’s a big undertaking," he said. "That’s why most of these delivery services haven’t been permitted."
If approved, the upstairs space will give the 12 operators a home base, so the city can conduct health inspections, check the accuracy of their scales, and ensure they're paying their taxes, among other efforts. The spaces will primarily be used for weighing cannabis, packaging, preparing for delivery and administrative use. Deliveries would not come and go throughout the day, but would probably include one pick-up in the morning, Hallinan said. No growing would be done on-site, and no customer pick-up would be involved.
Hallinan said the delivery services hope to provide an innovative space for the burgeoning cannabis industry, complete with a conference room and networking events. “What we’re hoping it develops into is an incubator space," he said.
