SALISBURY — The city of Salisbury could be getting its second dispensary, nearly two years after Maryland citizens voted to legalize cannabis for adult use.
Elevated Mind & Wellness plans to open a retail store at 733 South Salisbury Boulevard if Salisbury City Council approves an ordinance permit. The existing 4,400-square-foot building is currently the home of Kitty’s Flowers.
“I have provided you guys with a lot of proprietary information because I wanted to be fully transparent about our business vision, which is to be a cannabis retail store which services the city and contributes to the community, hires from the local workforce, invests in city and county programs and successfully develops a family of local personnel with growth and career opportunities,” Elevated Mind and Wellness CEO Cathie Ralph said during a June 15 City Council work session. “I understand this is something new with varying opinions, and with this great business opportunity comes great responsibility to the community, city, county and the state.”
The work session came after the Salisbury Planning Commission recommended June 20 to move the application forward. A public hearing and vote by the city council is slated for July 22.
“Based on their review, the site had plenty of parking,” City Planner Amanda Rodriquez told the council. “We talked a little bit about the traffic impact, but the surrounding uses are pretty consistent with the use. You have Walgreens and Community Farmacy on either side.”
If ultimately approved, Elevated Mind & Wellness would join the Apothecarium, formerly known as Peninsula Alternative Health, as the only cannabis dispensaries in the Eastern Shore city.
The potential impact of traffic on South Salisbury Boulevard from the site was brought up during the work session, but the CEO of Elevated Mind & Wellness unveiled a traffic study and plan that would help customers get in and out quickly.
“I’m looking at how much parking you have, Council Vice President Angela Blake said. “I do know that parking has been the issue with another dispensary in the area. It’s been a huge problem. The flow of traffic in, the flow of traffic out, the amount of foot traffic, it’s blocked school buses up, it’s blocked everybody up at certain hours of the day and I’m just trying to visualize the flow of this.”
A traffic study prepared by Baltimore-based The Traffic Group recommended that vehicles could only pull into the store’s parking lot from South Salisbury Boulevard and would be forced to exit onto Roland Street behind the store.
“Exiting that site onto South Salisbury is going to be more concerning than coming out on Roland Street,” said Carl Wilson, a traffic consultant.
“Having two businesses in Salisbury should split up the customers going from one location to the other who are near or will be near your location, so I think that’s going to help both locations out as well,” Council President D’Shawn Doughty said.
Ralph told the council that the proposed location has more than adequate parking to handle the inflow of customers, almost double the existing dispensary on Mt. Hermon Road.
“We plan to hire adequate exterior security to ensure onsite consumption is prohibited and we will be utilizing kiosks so that our patrons have a much more tranquil and efficient retail experience,” Ralph said.
Ralph said in addition to bringing a retail and medical service to Salisbury they hope to “positively” impact the community through their “community enrichment program.”
“It is our intention to pledge a percentage of our sales to support various organizations to promote community health and well-being,” Ralph said. “The cannabis industry is heavily regulated and requires strict compliance, both attributes my 30-plus years of corporate experience were focused on.
“I am also a resident of Wicomico County and want to ensure that Elevated is a good steward to the community and its surrounding stakeholders.”
Reach Managing Editor Richard Caines at rcaines@iniusa.org.
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