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LYNN — A potential pot shop in East Lynn was given the green light by a City Council subcommittee on Tuesday night, while another company seeking to open a shop on Broad Street has withdrawn its application.
The City Council’s Recreational Cannabis Site Plan Review Committee approved a request from Essex Apothecary, owned by Heather Hannon, who wants to open a boutique-style recreational marijuana store at 233 Western Ave.
Essex Apothecary will appear before the City Council next month to seek approval of its special permit to operate the store.
Hannon has described Essex Apothecary’s concept as Anthropologie meets a cannabis store, which would be “shabby chic,” and not computerized, but rather focused on creating a one-on-one experience with its customers. The plan is to have an art gallery in the waiting area.
The shop would be in Ward 1, across the street from Ward 2. Both Ward 1 and Ward 2 Councilors Wayne Lozzi and Rick Starbard spoke favorably about the potential business.
Lozzi had opposed the company’s last proposal to open their shop on nearby Chestnut Street, which led to the company withdrawing their application for that site.
One of the biggest concerns with the former site was a lack of parking, but the company believes it has addressed that concern with the proposed Western Avenue site, which would have 22 parking spaces and give it the most parking of any pot shop approved to operate in the city so far.
If approved, the marijuana store would be the first in East Lynn. All six pot shops that have been approved to open in the city have been for West Lynn locations. The city has two licenses remaining.
A second applicant scheduled to appear before the Site Plan Review Committee, The Harvest Club, owned by Chris Vining and Alex Coon, has withdrawn its application to open a shop at 461 Broad St., which would have been located on a piece of the 8,800 square-foot Lynnway Auto Sales property.
Their concept was to offer investment opportunities to residents, which would, in turn, give them shares of the business. Starbard said the company didn’t give a reason for withdrawing their proposal.
