EGG HARBOR CITY — A local boat-maker is looking to get into the marijuana industry.
City
Council last week approved a resolution authorizing the preparation of a
redevelopment plan for the Egg Harbor City Boat Co. building at
Philadelphia Ave. and Duerer Street.
Council voted 7-1 to approve the resolution, with Councilwoman Carol Kienzle casting the lone negative vote.
The 50,000-square-foot building would be renovated and retrofitted to create a grow facility for the production of medical marijuana, as well as recreational marijuana if the state legalizes it for recreational use, according to city officials and boat company owner Dr. Ira Trocki.
The 50,000-square-foot building would be renovated and retrofitted to create a grow facility for the production of medical marijuana, as well as recreational marijuana if the state legalizes it for recreational use, according to city officials and boat company owner Dr. Ira Trocki.
Trocki
said the business would operate under the name Relevant One LLC with
the majority owner being Dr. Jon Regis, president and CEO of Reliance
Medical Group, in which Trocki is a partner. He said they would
cultivate and process the product in Egg Harbor City and open a
dispensary in Atlantic City, where Mayor Frank Gilliam has expressed an
interest in exploring marijuana as an economic driver.
“We
planned to open these facilities in communities with a large minority
population in order to provide employment opportunities for those in
need of jobs,” Trocki said. “We feel this will be a win-win for the
community.”
Trocki said the boatbuilding and marijuana operations would share the facility at first, but if the marijuana operation proves successful, he would move the boat operations.
Trocki said the boatbuilding and marijuana operations would share the facility at first, but if the marijuana operation proves successful, he would move the boat operations.
Before any
marijuana plants can take root in the city, however, the facility needs
to be licensed by the state. New Jersey plans to award six new licenses
in November for so-called alternative treatment centers, two each in the
northern, southern and central parts of the state. Among the applicants
is Superior Grow Lab, which is looking to cultivate, process and
dispense medical marijuana in Pleasantville at the former site of The
Press of Atlantic City on Devins Lane.
The
deadline to apply is Aug. 31. Interested parties were required to
attend a conference in Trenton last week. Trocki said he was among them.
“This is a major opportunity to get this
site cleaned up,” City Planner Tim Michel said. Residents and council
members alike have complained over the years about the condition of the
site.
City resident Jeanne Williams agreed with Michel's assessment.
“This will be a good thing for the city as long as it’s helpful to people and there is good security,” she said.
The
resolution included seven conditions, including the need for full
planning and zoning site plan review, the necessity of receiving all
state approvals including licensing and permits for every use on the
site, and the need for the developer to receive any and all additional
governmental approvals for each and every use.
About
25,000 patients and 1,000 caregivers participate in the medical
marijuana program statewide, health officials said last month. Gov. Phil
Murphy said 10,000 new patients had signed on since January, many of
whom became eligible after the state expanded the program’s list of qualified conditions earlier this year. 
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