The Town of Brookhaven’s Board of Zoning Appeals has paved the way for what would be the first retail cannabis shop in the town.

The board approved a special permit and zoning variance for a retail cannabis shop at 262 Middle Island Road in Medford, said Garrett Gray, attorney for the applicant.

Gray said the special permit is for three years and is conditioned on no onsite cannabis smoking and that the applicant, Joseph Martin, be fully licensed before the town issues a building permit.

Gray previously told the Board of Zoning Appeals that no cannabis use would be permitted onsite.
The shop, which will be called Beleaf, would be located in an area that is already zoned industrial. It would employ between 20 and 40 employees and would likely be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Martin told the board at a Sept. 4 hearing.
A security guard would check IDs to make sure no one under 21 enters. The building would also be monitored by security cameras and lights.
“We are committed to operating responsibly and in full compliance with all regulations, ensuring our business is a positive addition to the community,” Martin said at the hearing.

Martin said in an interview that after obtaining the necessary building permits from the town, he would hope to open by the end of the year.

Beleaf has a location in Brooklyn and is building one in Calverton in the Town of Riverhead, Martin said.

The Medford Taxpayers and Civic Association opposed the special permit and a variance from town zoning laws which prohibit retail cannabis shops within 500 feet of a residential zone.

The proposed location is 213 feet from a residential zone, it was said at the hearing.

“This application represents the first attempt to establish a cannabis retail establishment within the Town of Brookhaven,” MTCA said in a letter to the board. “We strongly believe that the Board of Zoning Appeals should not set a precedent by waiving these important regulations for this controversial use.”

Instead of seeking a variance, the shop’s owners should find another location that already meets the zoning laws, MTCA president Brett Houdek said.
“The town’s settling on Medford for a lot of things—distribution, batteries and cannabis,” Houdek said.

The group is also fighting plans for a battery storage facility in Medford near Horseblock Road and the Long Island Expressway.