Two cannabis dispensaries in Moline get OK

Two new cannabis dispensaries are on their way to opening in Moline, but neither has a projected opening date yet.

The Moline City Council approved the second such business in a special meeting Monday, March 27. The special meeting was needed due to an oversight on the agenda in the previous meeting. It was moved up to make sure the developer was able to have approval prior to their final closing on the property, according to city spokesman Tory Brecht.

In order to approve a special use permit for a second dispensary, there was a needed ordinance change that had to be enacted.

© Provided by WHBF Davenport The city has approved two cannabis dispensaries, one on Avenue of the Cities and one off of John Deere Road.

The ordinance approving a special use permit for a second cannabis dispensary, to be located at 4301 44^th Avenue (John Deere Road Corridor), was on the March 21 agenda for final reading.  Staff realized before the meeting that the Moline Code of Ordinances requires that the Council first approve a resolution establishing the number of cannabis business establishments allowed in the city — to raise it from one to two, Brecht said following the meeting.

Staff, therefore, pulled the ordinance from the March 21 agenda. Time did not allow this resolution and ordinance to wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting on April 11, so a special meeting was called, he said, noting the cannabis dispensary resolution and ordinance were the only two items on the March 27 agenda. 

Bolden Investments I, LLC, with permission of owner Westinvest, LLC, applied for the permit for the establishment and operation of a cannabis dispensary at 4301 44th Avenue, Moline, which is located in the Cannabis Dispensary Overlay District, John Deere Road Corridor. A public hearing was held on February 22, 2023, before the Moline Plan Commission.

The city previously approved four Cannabis Dispensary Overlay Districts — John Deere Road Corridor; Airport Area Corridor; Avenue of the Cities Corridor; and an Uptown Corridor. These overlay districts are established to allow the construction, operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of a single cannabis dispensary within each respective Cannabis Dispensary Overlay District.

Illinois became the 11th state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana (cannabis), which went into effect Jan. 1, 2020. The only existing dispensary in the area is Nature’s Treatment of Illinois, at 973 Tech Drive, Milan.

Moline has approved a dispensary at a former Aldi store location, 2727 Avenue of the Cities. That property was originally being developed by Dan Dolan, but is now being pursued by a different developer and the city is still waiting for their new plans to be submitted, Brecht said.

Copyright 2022 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF – OurQuadCities.com.