An old Citibank at the corner of Langdale Street and Union Turnpike may soon become a cannabis dispensary.
Bill Cutrone, president of Lakeville Estates Civic Association, said members of his organization, which is based in New Hyde Park, don’t want to see the new store open at 27206 Union Turnpike.
What makes this such a contentious location, Cutrone said, is that Nassau’s Town of North Hempstead does not allow cannabis dispensaries to operate within its borders.
As it is technically located in Queens, the business’s cannabis license would be with New York City and is filed under the name of Herbhub LLC.
Cutrone cited concerns about public safety, people loitering around the store, teenagers obtaining cannabis underage, its proximity to residential areas and police jurisdiction as why he and his membership oppose the business.
Because New York City police do not cross into Nassau County, and vice versa, Cutrone said, he is concerned that if a crime happens in or outside the business, the police response time will be slow.
Angela Castellano, co-president of the Lost Community Civic Association in Queens, said a Public Safety Hearing, where residents expressed their concerns about the business, was held by Queens Community Board 13 on Sept. 4.
This business would join another cannabis dispensary on the border of the two counties that opened recently on the corner of Langdale Street and Hillside Avenue, down the street from Herbhub’s proposed location.
“We’ll just have to see how it bears out, and if it’s detrimental, we can call for a boycott,” Cutrone said.
