THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
TILTON — Parkway Dispensary and Molly’s Joint cannabis consumption lounge have been open about nine months now, and Redemption Botanicals’ cultivation center has been operating since the end of April.
Tilton officials say that’s enough cannabis licenses in their village.
The six-member village board unanimously voted to cap the licensed businesses and approved an ordinance to only allow one cannabis dispensary and one grow facility in the village.
The board also voted against MariWorks’ proposal for a nuEra cannabis dispensary at Illinois 1 and Ramp Road. This follows the Danville City Council earlier this week approving plans for the nuEra dispensary and other development south of the city’s Interstate 74 and Lynch Road interchange.
Tilton Mayor Billy Wear said about both Tilton board votes, “We’re a town of 2,700 people. We just don’t need two dispensaries within a quarter mile of each other.”
He said they don’t need more than two cannabis-licensed businesses. The village also only has three taverns, he added.
Wear said additional dispensaries would just “cut money” from one another and not hugely impact revenue to the village.
Paul Offutt, whose Offutt Development was involved with both Tilton’s cannabis developments, was glad of the village board’s votes.
“Tilton’s been phenomenal. It’s a very smart village,” Offutt said.
He said Redemption Botanicals’ cultivation center, in which he owns the building, has been open about six weeks, having their first plantings.
Marshall Lionti, chief executive officer, said the cultivation center has eight employees and soon could have 10 or more.
They brought in the first plants on April 29, he said.
The first harvest is expected in late July.
Under the craft grower license, it can have up to 14,000 square feet of “flowering canopy” of marijuana plants. Redemption Botanicals is in its first phase and is utilizing 5,000 square feet of space, Lionti said. They will expand into more space after operating for a longer period of time and selling their first plants.
The warehouse building is divided into rooms, filled with cannabis plants at staggered times.
Lionti said the plants then are “distributed to retail dispensaries throughout the state. You can find the product in Parkway in Tilton and a lot of dispensaries.”
Offutt said operations are going well.
Parkway had more than 2,000 people through the door on 4-20 or “weed day.”
“We’re holding our own on Parkway,” he said. “It’s not where I wanted it to be.”
Offutt said they’d like it to be doing a little better, but “we’re doing OK.”
He said it’s been a little slow getting it going. They have added a grill for the restaurant and “you don’t smell cannabis in there,” he added. “You can take your grandkids or your mother. You can’t smoke or do cannabis in there. It’s a separate restaurant.”
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