Yo, peep this, my name is Dan and I’m about to break down a crazy story happenin’ in Pinedale, a neighborhood in Fresno, California. So, check it out, the peeps in Pinedale went all out and rallied up at Fresno City Hall to shut down a proposed weed dispensary from openin’. They be sayin’ “nah” to that permit, ya dig?
This chick Lauren Carpenter, CEO of Embarc, wanted to open up a dispensary on N. Blackstone Ave., where there’s already like 15 other stores. Now, she did everything she was supposed to do to meet the requirements set by the city. She made sure that her spot was at least 1,000 feet away from Pinedale Elementary School, like the rules say. She even had tight security and parking on lock.
But hold up, the residents ain’t havin’ it. They be complainin’ about the smell of that loud takin’ over the whole shopping center. And don’t even get ’em started on them armed guards, they just addin’ more problems. They say that even though the dispensary met all those regulations, it’s still too close to the school and the kids shouldn’t be exposin’ themselves to that green goodness.
So these peeps called themselves Pinedale Matters and Clovis Unified School District and started writin’ letters demandin’ that this proposal get shut down. And guess what? Their efforts paid off, fam!
Now Embarc ain’t takin’ this lying down. Carpenter says they did everything by the book and followed every single regulation and code that was thrown their way. They even got approved by 26 different agencies! They got their license to operate in district two and found a location that the agencies and county departments deemed suitable. They put in mad work engagin’ with the community, both the supporters and the haters.
But here’s the real talk, one of them members from the Planning Commission, Monica Diaz, said that Carpenter did everything she had to do to open that dispensary. She covered all her bases, and nobody can say otherwise. But apparently, fear be cloudin’ judgment ’cause the Planning Commission denied that permit, even though they admitted that Embarc did everything right.
Now, not everyone be hatin’ on dispensaries. There were five Pinedale residents who spoke up in favor of Embarc, sayin’ that havin’ a dispensary would actually make the neighborhood safer. And even the United Food & Commercial Workers union showed some love for Embarc.
The whole meetin’ lasted mad long, man. Them Planning Commission members was runnin’ out of time by 9:55 p.m. And you know what? They all agreed to deny that permit, sayin’ it would be a “detriment” to the neighborhood. One member, Haley Wagner, wasn’t even there.
So let me break down some history for you. Fresno been takin’ its sweet time when it comes to adult-use cannabis shops. Back in March, they had a budget shortfall of over $3 million ’cause them shops was openin’ up so slow. It’s like they movin’ at a snail’s pace.
But Embarc and The Artist Tree said “screw that” and opened up shop in July 2022. The other businesses with preliminary licenses had to submit their applications for CUPs, and those gotta get approved before they can start buildin’. So it’s a whole process, you know?
In 2016, Prop 64 made weed legal for adults in Cali. And in 2018, Fresno voters said “yeah” to taxin’ them retail sales of recreational cannabis. That opened the door for adult-use dispensaries to pop up in the city. Then the City Council got involved in 2019 and started regulatin’ recreational weed. And just last year, they started givin’ out licenses for retail shops.
Fresno been lookin’ at different options to speed up the process of openin’ more shops. They tryna find solutions, man. And Pinedale used to be its own thing, but now it part of Fresno, so it gotta follow the rules too.
So there you have it, fam. Pinedale residents ain’t playin’ when it comes to this weed dispensary. They made their voices heard and shut it down. But who knows what the future holds? Maybe one day, they’ll be blazin’ up legally in Fresno. Until then, stay lit!
