Two cannabis businesses proposed for Queensbury

Barkenhagen told the Queensbury Town Board during a workshop meeting that his investors from the Colorado-based company Cannabis Depot were most interested in the former Agway building on Route 9, not far from Great Escape amusement park.

“When my investors came out here, I tried to show them properties in Glens Falls, but they just kept pushing for Lake George,” Barkenhagen said during the meeting. “But they (Lake George) opted out of cannabis sales, so the Route 9 corridor was the best location for them.”

He said three properties were of interest for “Cannabis Depot Lake George” including the Sweet Basil restaurant building currently for sale and the Olde Trading Post Saloon and Grill on the corner of Glen Lake Road and Route 9. However, the former Agway property at 1071 Route 9 is the first choice for the proposed business.

Barkenhagen said the property is ideal because of the current commercial zoning and the distance from any local churches or schools.

Board members said the size of the building seemed a bit excessive, to which Barkenhagen responded that the space would be needed for not only front room displays and ordering, but also for a large back area to house the products, as well as a substantial break room for employees.

Board member George Ferrone also expressed his concerns of the Agway building’s proximity to local family attractions such as The Fun Spot, miniature golf locations, and the amusement park down the road. 

Barkenhagen urged the board to take their time, but not to take too long to adopt retail marijuana-related business zoning. He explained that the licenses would begin to be distributed as early as next Thursday and in order to apply for a license the documents must list an approved site location.

“At first I reached out kind of informally, but now it is crunch time,” he said. “The first 150 licenses will be distributed statewide next week, and when it’s all said and done only 900 total across New York. Not too many of those will likely be awarded in Queensbury.”

Queensbury Supervisor John Strough assured him the town was moving at an accelerated pace to approve zoning, but also needed to take the time to do it right.

“We are learning,” Strough said. “The idea is that we are going to put a fast track on this, but we are still in the learning phases.”

Barkenhagen also told The Post-Star that he was also attending to clarify some of the “gaps in information” the town received at the last cannabis-related meeting.

Individuals cannot possess a growing license and also be a partner of an LLC (limited liability corporation) connected to a dispensary, he told the board. The clarification that dispensaries would not offer on-site consumption was also made by Barkenhagen.

Following the business owner’s proposal, Nick Chiaravalle presented his plans for a marijuana cultivation facility at 25 Native Road in Queensbury, as part of the newly created Native Park off of Carey Road, with five industrial buildings available for lease. 

Cannabis cultivation means any activity involving the propagation, planting, growing, harvesting, drying, curing, grading or trimming of cannabis. 

Chiaravalle said this would be his first marijuana business, but assured the board his team would take all necessary security and smell-proofing precautions.

The facility would include a large fence with 24/7 security cameras, as well as all doors requiring key cards. The company explained that HVAC filtration systems would be included in each room to ensure the air being released from the building was free from odor. 

The flowers and trimmings collected from the facility would be sent directly to dispensaries and cannabis-product manufacturers.

The Town Board did not make any decisions regarding either presentation as local and statewide regulations for retail recreational marijuana sales and growing have not been finalized.