Kingston marijuana task force mulls impacts of potential pot shops, including Uptown and Broadway

KINGSTON, N.Y.— The city’s marijuana task force on Wednesday discussed the impact that the proposed zoning overhaul would have on where future recreational cannabis storefronts could be located, including on Uptown and Broadway.

The city proposed zoning code, presented to the task force by Bartek Starodaj, the city’s director of housing initiatives, provided guidance on where recreational dispensaries and cannabis consumption lounges would be allowed to operate within city limits. Mainly grouped around areas with high commercial traffic and residential density, like on Broadway, the map treats dispensaries and cannabis lounges differently, restricting lounges to a smaller area to increase walkability and lessen the risk of patrons driving while intoxicated from locations. In some cases, special permits would be necessary.

Andrew Lessig, a lawyer representing the concerns of property owners in Uptown Kingston’s Stockade District, questioned if visitors to the historic neighborhood who come specifically for the family-friendly aspect of the area might find the presence of cannabis lounges and dispensaries offputting if placed close to parks and historic sites.

In response, Task Force member Jeremy Cherson said, “For someone like me who is a cannabis consumer and not an alcohol consumer, there are a lot of bars in Uptown [and] I’ve seen a lot of wild things happen there. Seeing cannabis in Uptown would be like a dream come true, I think it would draw people to Uptown because there’s a lot of people like me who don’t consume alcohol and don’t wanna be around drunk people.”

Also discussed was the proximity, based on the proposed zoning map, of cannabis storefronts to high schools. Task Force member Joseph Baganz raised concerns that students would get “lost on the way to school” after having to walk past dispensaries and lounges on the way to or from nearby schools and being enticed by their marketing materials. Kingston High School is zoned in an area open to dispensaries and lounges, for reference.

Task Force Member Stuart Chernoff said that there are guidelines already in place that would protect against marketing aimed at children. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen. First of all, there’s gonna be regulations on packaging … and number two, a kid can’t walk down Broadway home from school and go into a bar and liquor store either, they’re gonna card them.”

The city’s zoning map and its effects on the future cannabis community in Kingston will undergo more evaluation and public hearings before a vote on its adoption this spring. However, a lawsuit still prevents any licenses from being granted in the Hudson Valley.