Tarrytown News

First Cannabis Dispensary in Tarrytown Approved

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Dr. Larah Alami spoke out in favor of cannabis dispensary on Main St.

February 27, 2025

By Rick Pezzullo—

Purchasing cannabis products in the rivertowns has become easier with businesses already opened in Sleepy Hollow and Ossining, and now Tarrytown is joining the party.

Earlier this week, the Tarrytown Planning Board gave the go-ahead for a so-called “wellness center” known as The Hybrid Shop at 51 Main St. to turn into a cannabis dispensary.

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The 1,000-square-foot venture, which will sell cannabis in all shapes and sizes, will be open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and is regulated by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.

Proprietor Vincent Silvestri said the cannabis shop should fit in nicely on Main St. among the restaurants, Tarrytown Music and other attractions in the village.

“Our goal is to get everything preordered before they even get to the store,” he said. “Each transaction will only take between three and five minutes.”

Attorney Michael Weiss said there won’t be any “window shopping.”

“The goal is to get the customers in and out of our store faster than they can get a slice of pizza,” he said. “We’re not going to allow people to loiter outside. We’ve chosen a great location. We just see this as a win-win for the town.”

More than 200 comments were made on social media about the proposed dispensary, but only a few residents appeared February 24 at Village Hall for a public hearing.

Optometrist Dr. Larah Alami of Hudson River Eye Care welcomed the dispensary to Tarrytown.

“I think this is a great addition to the community,” she said. “If we want to be seen as a modern, progressive town we have to be diverse and inclusive of everyone.”

Planning Board Chairman Joan Raiselis read a letter from Tarrytown Police Chief John Barbelet that also was supportive of the dispensary, stating the owners have demonstrated they will “operate with transparency and integrity.”

Stanley Friedlander, who noted he carried a medical marijuana card in his wallet, was the only Planning Board member of the five in attendance who did not vote to allow the dispensary, abstaining instead, despite supporting it earlier in the meeting.

“To a lot of people this is a new product, a new world,” he said. “I’m looking at it being profitable.”

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