Sept. 20 Akron Planning Commission meeting
Covered by Documenter Jennifer Conn (see her notes here)
After the passage of Ohio’s recreational marijuana initiative in 2023 and when sales began Aug. 6 Akron is starting to see more dispensaries, cultivators and processors.
At the Sept. 20 Akron Planning Commission meeting, members approved five conditional-use permits for dual-use cannabis facilities. These facilities are all new to the area except Galenas and Klutch Cannabis, which already have local cultivation facilities. They join at least five other dual-use cannabis dispensaries in the Akron area.
A dual-use facility can sell both medical and recreational cannabis, but the owners must obtain a certificate of operation from the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Cannabis Control.
According to the city, facilities for medical marijuana or dual-use and adult-use marijuana facilities are the same – 500 feet from a school, church, public park, public playground, or public library.
In July, Akron City Council passed an ordinance requiring at least one mile between either an existing licensed dispensary or proposed marijuana facility.
READ MORE: Signal Akron’s Reegan Davis Saunders has more on Akron’s existing dispensaries and where to buy legal marijuana in Summit County.
Cannabis (aka weed) facilities grow across Akron
On the grow side, the commission approved a dual-use cultivation and processing permit for Klutch Cannabis at 1055 Home Ave. in Chapel Hill and Galenas LLC at 1956 S. Main St. in Firestone Park.
Pete Nischt, the vice president of compliance and communications at Klutch, said the company is likely to double its number of employees in the coming 18 months.
“We’re currently in a massive growth phase,” Nischt said during the meeting, adding that the company has good relations with city services and is “an open book.”
Galenas CEO Geoff Korff told the planning commission during the meeting that, “We’re expanding as much as we can to kind of keep up with the velocity of the market here in the state.”
For dispensaries, the commission approved dual-use facilities for Ayr Wellness Inc. at 10 S. Canton Road in Ellet and Culture Retail Partners of Ohio at 1568 E. Archwood Ave. in East Akron.
A dual-use processing facility was also approved for Ayr Wellness at 844 E. Tallmadge Ave. in Chapel Hill. Although no change is expected in the current facility or in operations necessary to process medical and recreational marijuana, Ayr said in its petition to the city that there is enough expansion space to double their employees from 15 to 30.
These petitions move to Akron City Council for final approval, possibly within the next week or two.
The next Planning Commission meeting is Oct. 18.
Cannabis industry terms:
Cultivation facilities grow and cultivate marijuana plants at their facilities.
Processing facilities manufacture marijuana products.
Dispensaries obtain medical and recreational marijuana products from licensed processors to dispense and sell to medical and recreational customers.