BRICK — Those waiting to voice their opinions on the potential medical marijuana dispensary in Brick Township will have to wait a while longer. The hearing before the Brick Township Board of Adjustment, scheduled for Jan. 9 at 7 p.m., was cancelled.
The applicant for the dispensary, Jersey Shore Therapeutic Health Care, cancelled the hearing because the certified mail notices that must be sent to residents that live within 200 feet of the proposed location were not delivered on time to some of the residents, according to Anne Davis, owner of the property at 385 Adamston Road and former medical marijuana patient.
A replacement meeting date has not been set.
The initial hearing for the medical marijuana dispensary was held on October 11. The meeting ran for approximately three hours in the packed town hall. Residents got a bit rowdy, some strongly in favor and some strongly opposed, to the site plan.
The meeting, for time’s sake, was postponed to November 19, which was postponed yet again to January.
The proposed Jersey Shore Therapeutic Health Center would be located on 385 Adamston Road in the township, also known as Block 195, Lot 11.01. What exists on the property now is an old Ocean First bank building, a little over 2,800 square feet, and a parking lot. The project aims to construct a dispensary and cultivation center on the property.
Although the property on which the company wished to construct the facility is technically residential, the RR-1 zone permit does allow for agricultural use, according to attorney John Paul Doyle.
According to Davis, the nearest dispensary to Ocean and Monmouth county residents is in Woodbridge, nearly an hour drive. At the first hearing, she attested to the difficulty of accessibility, as a former patient at the Woodbridge center who lives in Ocean County.
However, many residents have continued to express concern over safety, security, and accessibility of the drug to those who may not need it medically.
Residents that live in the area of the proposed site have actually hired an attorney to combat the proposed project, echoing further concerns with traffic, noise, and safety.
The proposal has yet to present three of its five witnesses, of which security is a major focus.
