Wilmette’s Village Board is moving toward eventually permitting marijuana sales at Edens Plaza, as trustees continue to explore the future of the shopping center.
On July 27, trustees voted 5-2 to direct staff to draft an ordinance that would allow adult-use recreational cannabis sales at Edens Plaza. The move comes after 56% of village residents showed approval for marijuana sales in a nonbinding referendum last November.
“Having done that, we are kind of stuck,” Trustee Gina Kennedy said, one of the five trustees in support of moving to draft the ordinance.
Kennedy spoke of her concerns of the amount of alcohol sales in the village, which she saw in a corresponding to marijuana, but still voted yes.
“I don’t like the idea, but it is more of an emotional thing and that is not a good enough reason to vote against it,” she said.
Also in support was Trustee Peter Barrow, who noted there were not any residents in the audience speaking out about the proposal.
“This simply isn’t an issue that animates people,” Barrow said, who then referred to the dispensary across the street from Old Orchard Mall in Skokie, very close to the Wilmette border. “Maybe it is the result of real world experience, having a large dispensary within walking distance of village limits.”
The possible opening of a dispensary could start a new chapter for the Edens Plaza, where the largest building, the former Carson Pirie Scott store, has been vacant since 2018.
In June, the village’s Land Use Committee — composed of three village trustees — concluded that Edens Plaza was the only appropriate site for marijuana sales within Wilmette after a review of the entire village’s zoning districts.
The shopping center met a series of criteria, including distance from residential areas and schools. Additionally, there would not be a large impact on residential traffic or parking, according to the committee.
Trustee Kate Gjaja noted the placement of a dispensary could add some interest to the shopping center.
“We are providing a tool to our shopping center developer to hopefully revitalize our biggest sales tax base in our community,” Gjaja said.
Representatives of Newport Capital Partners, the owners of Edens Plaza, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Village Manager Michael Braiman said there is a scheduled meeting with officials Aug. 10 to further discuss the proposal.
“The Village Board has been clear that while Edens Plaza is the only appropriate location in Wilmette for a cannabis dispensary, the number one priority for the Village is redevelopment of the vacant Carson’s Pirie Scott building,” Braiman said in a statement after the meeting. “Once the future of the plaza becomes clear, the Village will be in a better position to evaluate a special use application for a dispensary.”
Financially, village officials are projecting as much as $600,000 in annual tax revenues for Wilmette if a dispensary opened.
Village President Senta Plunkett voted against drafting the ordinance, but said her fears were allayed by conversations with Police Chief Kyle Murphy.
Trustee Dan Sullivan was the only other member voting against the measure.
“A lot of the people I talk to don’t want to live in a community that sells it because of the unknown,” Sullivan said.
Village officials said an ordinance could be on the agenda as soon as the Aug. 24 Village Board meeting, or a later meeting in September.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.