TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dustin Anderson, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
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Ordinance Approving a Special Use Permit to Allow an Adult-use Cannabis Dispensary, Located at 2121 W. Jefferson Street (ZBA 2025-03)
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BACKGROUND:
LIAM LLC is the contract purchaser of this property, who is acting on behalf of Veltiste Wellness to seek approval of a Special Use Permit to allow an adult-use cannabis dispensary at this vacant retail property located at 2121 W. Jefferson Street.
The property is zoned B-3 (General Business) district, and the City of Joliet allows adult-use cannabis dispensaries in this zoning district subject to the approval of a Special Use Permit. This vacant retail building was built for a NAPA Auto Parts store in 2014 as the result of a land subdivision with the adjacent Walgreens building that had been constructed in 2004. The two-lot subdivision has shared ingress / egress onto Jefferson Street and Hammes Avenue and shared drive aisles. NAPA Auto Parts vacated the building in June 2024, and the building has been vacant since that time. The surrounding properties are all zoned B-3 (General Business) and feature a mix of commercial uses. The property is not located in the Presence-Saint Joseph Medical Center TIF District.
Veltiste Wellness is a vertically integrated cannabis company focused on health and wellness. If this Special Use Permit is approved, the building at 2121 W. Jefferson Street will be leased to Veltiste Wellness who will operate the dispensary under the name “Bisa Lina Cannabis Dispensary.” Veltiste Wellness currently operates a dispensary under this name in Carol Stream, Illinois. Their cultivation operations are based out of Battle Creek, Michigan. Veltiste Wellness operations team and partners have operated and consulted with many dispensaries in several markets including California, Oklahoma, and Michigan. Upon Joliet municipal approval, Veltiste Wellness will purchase a Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization License
Veltiste Wellness anticipates that the dispensary will be open seven days a week from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. The company intends to employ around 20 people, with four to seven employees onsite at any given time, including at least one security guard. The security plan for the proposed dispensary includes trained, unarmed security guards on-site during business hours. Veltiste Wellness expects to serve 300 to 700 customers per day at this location, with peak periods between 4:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M. and with Thursday and Friday being the highest-traffic days. During peak hours, the dispensary expects to serve 50 to 80 customers per hour. During off-peak hours, 15 to 40 customers per hour are expected. Veltiste Wellness estimates that the average visit by a customer will be less than ten minutes because many customers pre-order their products. Additional details on their operations, including security operations, plan can be found in the attachment to the ZBA staff report packet.
The redevelopment of this 6,000 square foot former auto parts store also includes renovations to the façade to rebrand this building as well as new landscaping. Conceptual building elevations, site plan and landscaping plan are included in the ZBA staff report packet. The property has parking for 35 vehicles, which exceeds the site’s parking requirement for a 6,000 square foot retail building. The City’s Engineering Division had no concerns with the submitted Traffic Impact Study, which can also be found in the ZBA staff report packet.
Based on staff’s analysis, staff finds that the proposed use, including its site plan and operational details, meet the Special Use Permit criteria outlined in Section 47-5.2 (C) of the Zoning Ordinance as well as the additional Special Use Permit requirements outlined in Section 47-15 I (Adult Use Cannabis) of the Zoning Ordinance. The proposed use should not have any impact on existing or planned uses located within the vicinity of the subject property.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS PUBLIC HEARING:
The Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on this matter on March 20, 2025. Attorney Nathaniel Washburn with KGG, LLC and Dev Patel appeared on behalf of the petition. Two people spoke in favor of the request during the public hearing. It should be noted that two people spoke in opposition to the request earlier in the meeting during “Citizens to be Heard on Agenda Items.” One public comment was submitted in opposition to the request and one public comment was submitted in favor of the request. Meeting minutes are attached.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS:
Ralph Bias moved that the Zoning Board of Appeals recommend approval of the Special Use Permit to allow an adult-use cannabis dispensary, located at 2121 W. Jefferson Street. The motion to approve failed for lack of a second. Jim Riggs motioned to deny the Special Use Permit request to allow an adult-use cannabis dispensary, located at 2121 W. Jefferson Street, which was seconded by Debbie Radakovich. The motion to deny carried by the following vote: Aye: Bias, Hennessy, Radakovich, Riggs and Stiff. Absent were Nachtrieb and Roehr.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
The Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Council adopt an Ordinance approving a Special Use Permit to allow an adult-use cannabis dispensary, located at 2121 W. Jefferson Street. The adoption of this Ordinance requires a 2/3 majority vote to approve and should include the following two conditions:
1. That the Special Use granted shall herein terminate and lapse unless a building permit or certificate of occupancy is obtained not later than 180 days of the effective date of this ordinance and the erection or alteration of a building is started or the use is commenced within such period. The Board may grant an extension of this period, valid for no more than one hundred and eighty (180) additional days, upon written application and good cause shown without notice or hearing. Whether or not there is an intention to abandon the Special Use, if any special use is discontinued for a continuous period of one year, or if an intent to abandon the Special Use is evident in a shorter period of time, the Special Use for such use shall become void, and such use shall not thereafter be reestablished unless a new Special Use Permit is obtained; and
2. Should the property be declared a public nuisance, it may be subject to a rehearing and a possible revocation of the Special Use Permit.
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