Medical Cannabis Dispensary Eyes Vacant 100 Church St.100 Church St. was formerly an Out of the Closet store.
Shane Downing
Published on July 21, 2017

This past week, neighbors around 100 Church St. received a Planning notice stating that an inquiry was made into whether a Medical Cannabis Dispensary (MCD) can be established in the property.

A Ms. Svetlana Shkolnikov requested a Letter of Determination (LOD) from Planning regarding the property at 100 Church Street, although according to Planning's Gina Simi, no application to convert 100 Church St. into an MCD has been filed.

In the zoning administrator's response to Shkolnikov, it is stated that, according to Planning code, an MCD can be established in the space; however, any proposed dispensary would be subject to a mandatory Discretionary Review Hearing.

The vacant corner property was previously eyed by Supervisor Jeff Sheehy as a potential site for a homeless respite center in the neighborhood. Although a possible respite location is still in the works, the Church St. space is allegedly no longer on the table.

According to city processes, if someone is looking to open up a cannabis dispensary at 100 Church St., they would need to file an MCD application with Planning, apply to the Department of Health, and submit a building permit to the Department of Building Inspection.

After that, the Planning Commission would hold a mandatory discretionary review hearing, a decision that could be appealed.

This week, the Board of Supervisors approved a $200,000/year salary for the incoming director of the Office of Cannabis, a new agency that "will decide who receives operating permits, both recreational retailers and medical dispensaries," reports The Examiner. 

Hopeful dispensary operators would still need to navigate the existing approval process before the Office of Cannabis made its determination.

Given the lengthy process, not to mention the potential community push back, it could be a while before the corner of Church and Duboce Streets gets a cannabis dispensary.