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05/24/2024 11:46 AMThe Old Saybrook Zoning Commission unanimously voted to temporarily remove a requirement that the retail marijuana store in town operate only via pre-sales or appointments. The removal of the condition applies until Aug. 31 but could become permanent in the fall.
Fine Fettle Dispensary officially opened at 233 Boston Post Road in January 2024. Due to conditions of the 2023 approval from the Zoning Commission, the store was required to operate by pre-sale and appointment pick-ups or delivery only. However, it was also stated at the time that the operators could apply to the Zoning Commission to change that provision.
On May 1, Fine Fettle’s attorney sent a letter to the Zoning Commission asking to remove the requirement.
After a public hearing and some deliberation, the commission voted unanimously on May 20 to lift the appointment policy and change the number of transactions the store is allowed from 30 to 55 an hour until Aug. 31.
On Aug. 1, the store must supply the town with data showing compliance with the stipulation. If the data shows an uptick in traffic or enforcement issues, the changes to the condition may be revoked. If the data shows no traffic or enforcement issues, the changes to the condition will be allowed to stay.
After the meeting, Benjamin Zachs, the CEO of Fine Fettle, told the Harbor News he was pleased with the outcome.
“We are incredibly happy to bring easier and more accessible cannabis to our customers. This decision will ensure that we can satisfy the needs of everyone in our area and bring even better customer service than we have provided to date,” Zachs said.
“Most importantly, I am proud of our team for having proven that we are best-in-class operators. Changing stigma is hard, but decisions like tonight prove that it’s moving in the right direction,” Zachs continued.
In a letter to the commission explaining the request, the applicant said that since opening, the store has experienced no problems with parking or traffic management, which were significant issues the commission and the public were concerned about during public hearings over the application. That was confirmed by Old Saybrook Zoning Enforcement Officer Chris Costa.
“There have been no traffic incidents, let alone accidents and no complaints from neighbors, law enforcement, zoning, or town officials since opening. In fact, the only complaints Fine Fettle has received to date have been from unhappy customers turned away or struggling to make orders online, resulting in poor customer experiences,” the letter stated in part.
Zachs told the commission that the online ordering and appointment scheduling was particularly confusing to older customers who aren’t as tech-savvy as younger people. Furthermore, Zachs argued at the hearing that even with the required appointment system, people still drive into the parking lot without appointments.
“We’re never going to be able to stop people in the real world where they google and see we’re the closest store to them, and they come,” Zachs said.
Zachs said he had collected over 2,000 signatures, 370 of which were Old Saybrook residents, urging the commission to remove the appointment stipulation.
Unlike previous public hearings concerning Fine Fettle, the latest application did not generate a substantial amount of public feedback. During the public hearing portion of the meeting, only three residents spoke, two in favor of changing the regulation and one opposed to it.
Both Sherry Hill and Mark Hand asked the commission not to stand in the way of how the business operates and pushed back on what they said was a false perception people have about marijuana.
“I think people have this idea it’s lots of crazy pot heads running around. That’s not the case,” said Hill during the hearing.
Prior to the Old Saybrook location, the nearest dispensaries to Old Saybrook were located in Branford, Middletown, and New London, forcing local customers to travel 20 miles or more for access to legal cannabis.
Fine Fettle currently has multiple cannabis dispensaries in Connecticut and two in Massachusetts. The company is looking to expand in those two states as well as the state of Georgia.