The New Haven City Plan Commission on Wednesday rejected two separate proposals for cannabis-related businesses.
The denied applications were for properties at 420 Middletown Ave. and 45 Church St., according to City Planner II Esther Rose-Wilen.
For both properties, commissioners who were opposed cited concerns about the suitability of the use for the neighborhoods, such as the locations’ proximity to schools or day-care centers.
For 420 Middletown Ave., applicant Affinity Health and Wellness LLC was seeking a special permit for a cannabis dispensary at space long occupied by the 91 Diner.
Affinity already has a cannabis retail location at 1351 Whalley Ave. in New Haven.
Pharmacist Ray Pantalena, principal of Affinity Health & Wellness, has previously indicated he wanted to move to Middletown Avenue because he needs a larger space.
Opponents to that plan raised concerns about its proximity to a child care center and school, claiming it wasn’t suitable for the neighborhood. It is near the Ross-Woodward School and the recently approved new Friends Center for Children, which is going into the site of the former Cine-4 movie theater.
Pantalena could not be reached for comment after the vote.
Meanwhile, for 45 Church St., applicant Dharini Patel of Divine 1 LLC sought site plan approval to convert 6,500 square feet on the ground floor of the former bank building into a hybrid recreational and medical cannabis retailer.
Property owner David Kuperberg, of 45 Cooper Associates LLC, expressed support for the proposal, asserting it would be an asset to downtown.
According to Kuperberg, who lives part of the year in Colorado, dispensaries there have helped upgrade locations.
“Every dispensary I have seen is clean, safe and a model citizen of the community,” he said. “The business is highly regulated; they don’t want to lose their license that was so hard to obtain. These businesses don’t want to scare away the legitimate customer, so they ensure that there are no hangouts or illegal activities nearby.”
Commissioner Joy Gary expressed concern about its proximity to Gateway Community College, as it has an early learning center for young children.
Brian Quartarolo, a Church Street resident, submitted testimony against the application.
“This neighborhood does not need another outlet for the drug and alcohol addicts / mentally ill / homeless who constellate in our neighborhood each day,” Quartarolo told the CPC. “There are some wonderful restaurants and merchants who have told me their businesses are struggling because people do not want to come here …. I strongly believe permitting this cannabis facility will make the neighborhood worse, not better.”
Earlier this month, the City Plan Commission approved three other cannabis-related businesses.
