Retail marijuana may be coming to Durango’s downtown Main Avenue.
Acceptus Group, a local medical marijuana dispensary and grower, was first in line to apply for land-use approval for a retail marijuana location as Durango’s moratorium ended Tuesday.
Co-owner Jason Barker handed in an application to open a shop at 965½ Main Ave. If approved, the location will test what happens when retail marijuana meets a vibrant tourism district.
The location, in the heart of downtown, is on the second floor above The Jewelry Works and next door to Subway. Care for a $5 foot-long sandwich with your recreational marijuana?
Acceptus Group’s was the first of four applications the city received by end of business Tuesday.
Two other applicants were in line Tuesday morning when River City Hall opened at 7:30 a.m. Rocky Mountain High, second in line, applied to co-locate a recreational shop with its existing dispensary at 48 East Animas Road (County Road 250).
“It’s a relief,” said Jordan Smith, regional manager of Rocky Mountain High. “I haven’t slept in three days wondering if I’d be able to expand my business. It’s tough – there’s a lot of competition. This is one way they’re letting us do it.”
Animas Herbal Wellness Center, third in line, also applied to co-locate in its existing dispensary at 1111 Camino del Rio, General Manager Wes Drobney said.
A fourth dispensary, Durango Organics, turned in an application later Tuesday. Durango Organics also applied to co-locate at the dispensary, 72 Suttle Street in Bodo Industrial Park.
The first day of retail marijuana applications came as a relief to the applicants, who came prepared with forms already filled out.
Smith slept in line overnight outside of River City Hall to ensure she’d be among the first to apply. Barker traded shifts with Acceptus employees to hold the first spot in line.
City Manager Ron LeBlanc and Greg Hoch, Durango’s director of planning and community development, had a little fun, handing out large bags of Cheetos to the marijuana applicants in line. Vacation-rental applicants, who had also gathered at River City Hall for the first day of their application process, were offered smaller bags of chips.
LeBlanc explained the differing gifts, saying, “We did some research, and we thought the big bag would be the right size – it’s kind of the corporate bag.”
Each of the marijuana businesses dropped off a $350 check, the standard land-use application fee, along with their applications.
Don’t expect to buy retail marijuana in Durango before fall. The land-use application is only the first step in a local and state process that Hoch estimated will take three to four months.
Acceptus Group’s application was the only one that wasn’t simply seeking to co-locate at an existing dispensary. The proposed downtown location would place retail marijuana near restaurants and shops in a bustling area.
Acceptus’ proposed upstairs location at 965½ Main Ave., formerly the home of Your Flesh Tattoo, is owned by Denise L. Elliott, a local insurance agent, and William Whitney, according to La Plata County Assessor’s Office records.
Elliott did not return a message left at her office. Whitney declined to comment when reached, saying he is in lease negotiations before hanging up.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect job description for Denise L. Elliott.
