Cannabis dispensary eyes new market with expansion into eastern Santa Rosa

A local marijuana dispensary is seeking to expand its footprint into eastern Santa Rosa with a new location.

Jane Dispensary, which has a shop on Armory Road near Santa Rosa Junior College, plans to open a second Santa Rosa location in a vacant 2000-square-foot commercial space on Highway 12 just east of Brush Creek Trail.

The company is seeking a conditional use permit to operate a cannabis retail shop that sells marijuana for medical and recreational use. The company also proposes to offer delivery services.

The Planning Commission will consider the application during its Thursday meeting that begins at 4:30 p.m.

Planning and Economic Development staff have recommended the commission approve the permit as the dispensary meets all local requirements, has provided a security plan and is not near a school or another dispensary.

Jane Dispensary brands itself as a “cannabis boutique” that provides a personal shopping experience in a modern setting to customers. The company focuses on educating clients about the various uses of marijuana, particularly the medicinal benefits.

The company is owned by a local investor group and has a sister location in the St. Louis area.

The Armory Drive location will celebrate its anniversary on Wednesday and the company will soon operate a location on Highway 116 in Cotati, which is expected to open at the end of October, said Leigh Anne Baker, the chief operating officer.

The company decided to open the eastern Santa Rosa location after seeing an opportunity to reach an underserved market, particularly in Rincon Valley and Oakmont, where there are few other options, Baker said. They hope to open the shop in about a year.

“We’re hoping to reach a group that doesn’t have exposure to this product close by,” she said.

About a dozen licensed dispensaries are operating in Santa Rosa but less than a handful are in the city’s eastern side and outskirts. Cannadel has a dispensary on Montgomery Drive and Solful opened on Farmers Lane, across from Montgomery Village, in April.

In addition to the brick-and-mortar shop, Baker said the delivery service will help expand accessibility to a wider customer base who might not be able to shop in person.

The proposed location is next to an assisted living facility and surrounded by single-family homes.

The dispensary would operate 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and deliveries would be limited to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the application.

The proposal has raised some concerns among neighbors worried the shop would emit marijuana odors, contribute to traffic and that marijuana products and packaging would be littered around the shop.

Residents during a neighborhood meeting last November also said the dispensary would have a negative impact on children in the surrounding neighborhoods, according to a city staff report.

Baker said the company has taken steps to mitigate concerns and she said they haven’t had any issues with an increase in thefts, graffiti or other crime at the Armory Drive location.

Jane Dispensary proposes having round-the-clock security on site, including an alarm system, cameras and uniformed security officers monitoring the entrance. No marijuana products would be consumed on site, according to the application.

Owners submitted an odor mitigation plan that calls for installing carbon filters and taking other steps to limit odor from the business.

Baker said she has found people opposed to dispensaries opening in their neighborhood often don’t have a lot of experience with cannabis. The company hopes to change that, highlighting the benefits, and shed some of the negative stigma around the industry, she said.

The company must obtain a retail license from the state Department of Cannabis Control to open the shop and the owners plan to apply as soon as they receive all city approvals, Baker said.

The owners will need to seek additional building permits for improvements to the building.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.