Second cannabis company seeking Elgin OK to open craft growing facility on city’s west side

A second company is seeking Elgin approval to open a cannabis craft growing facility in an industrial park on the city’s west side.

Grand Legacy Group obtained a state cannabis license as a social equity applicant and originally planned to launch its business in Chicago Heights before opting for an Elgin location at 450 Shepard Drive, Senior Planner Damir Latinovic told the Elgin Planning and Zoning Commission this week.

The company has submitted requests to the city to obtain a conditional use permit and zoning change from commercial industrial to general industrial, both of which are required for cannabis craft growing businesses, Latinovic said.

Current occupants of the 30,000-square-foot building in which they will operate, owned by Elgin Properties, will be moving out by the end of the year, he said.

No onsite cannabis consumption or sales are permitted and what they produce will be sold to licensed companies and providers only, Latinovic said. Under its state license, Grand Legacy can start with 5,000 square feet of growing space and expand incrementally up to 14,000 square feet, he said said.

The growing process requires 400 gallons of water for 5,000 square feet daily, the equivalent of what an average three-person household uses, he said. About 100 gallons of Grand Legacy’s water will be recycled from runoff.

Any cannabis waste will be ground up and and mixed with other materials before being taken to a state-approved waste facility, Latinovic said.

Illinois requires extensive security for any cannabis operation, and the company’s plan has already been approved by the Elgin Police Department, he said. Among the provisions are having an unarmed security guard on site and 24-hour video monitoring by Illinois State Police, which is required under the law.

“We’re going to make this building very secure,” said Rod Collins, a partner with the Grand Legacy group.

Added Christine Johnson, another Legacy group partner: “We will have limited visibility and signage because we are not for the public. We don’t want that perception out there or that attention.”

The location benefits their operation because it’s not close to any schools or neighborhoods, Johnson said. Minor interior work will be done to the building’s interior but the exterior will stay the same, she said.

“We can’t say enough about how excited we are to come to the city of Elgin,” Johnson said.

As a social equity applicant, Grand Legacy wants to make sure it helps underserved communities, Collins and Johnson said. They’re dedicated to making sure their company benefits underserved communities, Johnson said.

“We’re a team of African Americans (owners) who believe in social equity. We plan to give back to the neighborhood,” said Collins, who added they’ve already started working with PADS of Elgin.

They also plan to reach out to the community by holding educational programs on what cannabis is, how it breaks down, how to use it responsibly and what to do if it becomes a problem, Johnson said.

“I’m in this industry but my intent is to encourage safe use,” she said.

The city’s first cannabis craft growing facility was approved in January for a location at 1300 Abbott Drive. Flora Arbor is in the process of getting its building permit, Latinovic said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.