Legal cannabis dispensary in Bay Ridge sparks neighborhood feud

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Kaya Bliss Dispensary will soon be the first legal cannabis dispensary in Bay Ridge - and the idea is not sitting well with some neighbors. Shop owners Edgar Kleydman and Giorgio Matesi say they have passed just about every legal requirement to open the dispensary on Third Avenue, pending a construction walk-through, once the build-out is completed. Some community members say they are unhappy with the opening, as it is about half a mile from a school. The Office of Cannabis Management, however, says the shop is far enough away from the school. Since the blueprint was released, protests have flooded the area in recent months. Co-owner Edgar Kleydman says he welcomes the foot traffic. "We welcome them. Believe it or not, it's free advertising and their protest brought so much attention to me," he says. State Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny is one of the leaders against the shop's opening. News 12 asked if he would ever be able to stand together with the local business in his constituency, and he said "no." "