Riverhead votes to loosen cannabis shop zoning restriction in commercial corridors

Riverhead Town officials voted Tuesday to remove a 1,000-foot buffer between recreational cannabis shops and residences in the town’s major commercial corridors.

The measure drew support from residents who said it was a fair approach to the emerging industry, though it generated criticism from aspiring dispensary owners who said at a hearing last month  the rules are still too restrictive.

The proposal was approved in a 5-0 vote.

Under the new zoning, dispensaries will be allowed to sit closer than 1,000 feet from homes if the shops are on commercial corridors: Route 25A in Wading River, Middle Country Road in Calverton, Route 58 in Riverhead, Main Road in Aquebogue and Main Road in Jamesport.

One dispensary is allowed in each corridor except for Route 58, where as many as seven could open if spaced 2,500 feet apart.

The change increases the number of eligible shops from five to 144, DeputyTown Attorney Annemarie Prudenti said.

She said the zoning will allow dispensaries to “roll out in a responsible, slow manner” that will help the town assess impacts like increased traffic.

Entrepreneurs with conditional state licenses to open dispensaries said finding locations remains challenging due to uncooperative landlords and existing town zoning.

Dispensaries must also be 1,000 feet from schools and libraries and 500 feet from houses of worship and playgrounds in Riverhead.

Despite those challenges, advocates applauded Riverhead for revisiting the restrictive zoning first enacted in 2022.

“It’s been a long road,” said Hugo Rivas, co-founder of the Long Island Cannabis Coalition advocacy group, adding that Riverhead is a “leading example, even though we feel some things are unreasonable and impractical.”

Several residents wrote letters to the town board in support of the zoning change, which will allow dispensaries to open “without opening up the floodgates,” wrote resident Jennifer Carey.

Councilwoman Denise Merrifield said the legislation considers both sides of the issue.

“It is a balance between the interests of the cannabis individuals that wish to open up shops here and … the residents here who are concerned about the health, safety and welfare of their children,” Merrifield said.

Two pending applications could be eligible under the revised zoning, Prudenti said. The town may now send responses to the state Office of Cannabis Management, which grants licenses.

Riverhead, Southampton, Brookhaven and Babylon are the only Long Island towns allowing retail pot sales.

In January, Babylon reduced the distance between dispensaries and residences from 1,000 to 750 feet.