The Town of Newburgh Planning Board granted site plan approval and special permit approval on the project 217 S. Plank Road-Cannabis Dispensary during its August 15 meeting. No one commented on the project during a public hearing held the same night.

The proposal seeks a dispensary facility in an existing site under special use permit. The project involves lot consolidation and the parking lot would be restripped under the town’s striping regulations. Engineer Joseph Minuta of Minuta Architecture appeared Thursday night and thanked the town and its consultants for working with his firm to address signage compliance.

The project was reportedly submitted to the Orange county Department of Planning and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) with no comments received from the NYSDOT. Requirements for approval of the project explained by the planning board attorney include the special permit would be valid while the certificate of licensure to sell cannabis related products is in effect. If the license is revoked, expires or is no longer applicable, then the special permit would not be applicable in that case. The approval before the board is only for the construction shown on the plans, and amendments would require future approval. Future uses of the site would also have to come back before approval and the approval is only granted to the applicant. If there is a change of ownership or transfer of business, that would also require a future approval.

The town has seen several projects before the planning board related to cannabis dispensaries such as upgrades and construction at Curaleaf on North Plank Road and another on Route 300 across from the Newburgh Mall. The town board is also in the midst of amending its town zoning code related to cannabis uses which stem from updates from New York State law and regulations and the definitions associated within the code. A public hearing has been planned for the September 23 town board meeting next month.