Hearing Scheduled on Cannabis Dispensary Regulations in Tarrytown

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October 7, 2022

By Rick Pezzullo–

The Tarrytown Board of Trustees has scheduled a public hearing on proposed zoning amendments regarding the regulation of cannabis dispensary facilities.

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The hearing will take place Monday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Tarrytown Village Hall at 1 Depot Plaza. Residents can also view the meeting and make comments virtually on the village’s website.

In December 2021, the Board of Trustees informally decided to join neighboring Sleepy Hollow in welcoming cannabis dispensaries by opting into the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), which was enacted in New York State on March 31, 2021.

That law legalized recreational marijuana and also opened the door for retail cannabis dispensaries and consumption sites to set up shop in all communities. Tarrytown gave consumption sites, also known as lounges, a thumbs down.

Any tax revenues on local sales of marijuana and other products would be distributed as a 9% excise tax to the state, 3% to the municipality and 1% to the county. Tax collections from the adult-use cannabis program are projected to reach $350 million annually.

The MRTA limits the number of licenses that can be owned by one company, ensuring that small businesses have an opportunity to compete in the new market.

Mayor Karen Brown said the proposed legislation that will be discussed at the hearing deals with special permit requirements such as site plan review, hours of operation, and signage. Any businesses that want to open a cannabis business in the village will have to get approval from the Tarrytown Planning Board.

Dispensaries are only permitted in a limited amount of zoning districts in the village. They are not allowed near schools and religious institutions.

Trustees recently discussed reaching out to municipalities in New Jersey and Massachusetts to see what parking regulations they enacted when approving dispensaries.

Brown said she doesn’t foresee dispensaries finding a home along Main St. in Tarrytown.

“I don’t think it would be a great place for it because of the traffic and parking,” she said. “I think the market will determine where it will be. It may require more parking than a small restaurant.”

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