WESTBROOK’S PROPOSED CANNABIS SHOP IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD

755 Boston Post Road, Westbrook, CT - Jet Laundromat


  • Westbrook is one of the only municipalities (possibly the only) to allow cannabis sales in residential neighborhoods.

  • Because the proposed cannabis shop is in a mixed residential area, a school bus stop is at the proposed location.

  • Unlike most of our surrounding towns, Westbrook has forced cannabis sales into residential neighborhoods by disallowing it in more suitable commercial zoning.

  • The proposed shop will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. 7 days a week.

  • The proposed location for the cannabis shop has a long history of zoning violations. Many promises have been made to address these violations yet they continue to persist.

  • Parking and traffic are serious concerns. The proposed cannabis shop will bring 200-500 cars per day to this residential neighborhood.

  • Parking is such a serious concern that the owner has proposed having employees park over a mile away.

  • Because cannabis is illegal federally, cannabis sales are an all cash business. Deliveries of cannabis and removal of cash is a safety and security concern as noted by the owners.

  • Connecticut Examiner 8-2-2022 regarding a similar proposal in Old Saybrook:

    • “At a public hearing on Monday night, Police Chief Michael Spera said that the town’s Zoning Commission would be ‘negligent’ to approve a proposed marijuana dispensary that he warned would create a major public safety concern and require expanding the Old Saybrook Police Department.”

    • “(Chief) Spera said that, based on what he’s heard from other communities, he expects an increase in larcenies, disputes and traffic accidents, and that the police department will need to keep a presence around the dispensary.”

  • Westbrook has a significantly smaller police department than Old Saybrook.

  • Any financial benefit from cannabis sales will be consumed by additional policing costs.

  • The zone for Westbrook’s proposed cannabis shop is as follows:

    • “The purpose of the Neighborhood Commercial Zone is to promote a mix of residential and commercial uses that are innovative and compatible with New England village-scale streetscape; do not generate large volumes of traffic; and are constructed of materials that preserve the residential character of the area.” Westbrook Cannabis Zoning Regulations Page 18 Sec. 3.A.2.

  • Westbrook’s decision to place cannabis sales in a residential neighborhood is completely misaligned with their own regulations as stated above!

  • Westbrook’s own planning commission did not approve this proposal yet the zoning commission is moving forward.



PLEASE ATTEND THE ZONING MEETING ON 1-23-23 AT 7:00 P.M. IN TOWN HALL WHEN THIS PROPOSAL WILL BE VOTED ON.