SWAINTON – The owner of a retail cannabis shop on Route 9 at the intersection of Avalon Boulevard is shooting for a September opening date, township Business Administrator Kimberly Osmundsen said at the Township Committee’s Aug. 19 meeting.
The store’s owner, INSA Middle Township LLC, once had hopes for a spring opening, which was pushed to a midsummer start, and both targets were missed; there are no guarantees on September.
Mayor Christopher Leusner said the company has made significant progress at the site, a onetime Wawa that turned into a dermatology clinic.
The holdup now, Osmundsen said, is at the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which must complete its approval process before the dispensary can open. INSA Middle Township had its conditional license approved in January.
Leusner has made clear that the township will not consider support for any new application for a cannabis business until officials have had an opportunity to see and review what happens with the INSA shop once it opens.
INSA did not respond to voice and email requests for comment.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
