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Prospect Heights zoning panel to hear pitch for recreational pot shop

Editor's note: The story has been changed to reflect a change in the name of the company presenting the applicaton to the Prospect Heights lanning and zoning commission. The company's name is now Verano.

A recreational pot shop could be coming to Prospect Heights.

Chicago-based Verano will present an application to the Prospect Heights planning and zoning commission Thursday, June 25, in a virtual meeting at 7 p.m.

The dispensary would be at the southwest corner of Thomas Street and Rand Road, the site of a vacant bank building. The building sits at a busy commercial intersection, but it also is just a few blocks from Hersey High School.

Verano describes itself as is a national, vertically integrated operator of licensed cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and retail facilities dedicated to improving lives by providing safe access to effective organic cannabis products. It operates Zen Leaf St. Charles, which last month received city approval to sell recreational marijuana in addition to medical marijuana.

"This is one of the original players in the medicinal cannabis field that was able to transition quickly into the recreational side," said Dan Peterson, Prospect Heights' director of community development who is handling the zoning application. "It's not somebody who started this yesterday."

Peterson said Prospect Heights approved an ordinance in December that allows the consideration of a dispensary in the B-2A zoning district.

"It's been on the books, and we did get a formal application," he said. "Now it's going through our special use zoning process."

After hearing the proposal Thursday, the zoning board could make a recommendation to the city council, which holds final authority over the request.

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