Woodstock’s first marijuana business could open next month, while dispensary could come later this year

Woodstock is close to having its first marijuana business open in town and could see it expand to include a dispensary before the end of the year.

The business, to be ran by Six Labs Inc., cleared a hurdle on Thursday after it went through the city’s Plan Commission, which recommended the approval of special-use permit for a dispensary.

The vote was 5-0, with two commissioners absent. And while commissioners were supportive of the permit, their vote was just a recommendation. The final decision will fall on the City Council at a future meeting.

At Thursday’s meeting, Mike Leuzzi, a founder of Six Labs and its director of real estate development and asset management, said the business doesn’t have a state permit for a dispensary, but is in negotiations to obtain one.

They are waiting for city approval before going through with it, but if ultimately approved, hope to open up the last leg of their business this year.

We’re happy to have you guys here and can’t wait for you to open.

—  Woodstock Plan Commissioner Cody Sheriff on Six Labs opening in town

Meanwhile, the other part of the business – marijuana transportation and infusion – will potentially open in the next 30 days, Leuzzi said. The business is still waiting on some equipment to arrive and be installed.

Originally, the business was set to also include a craft-growing element, but delays at the state level have kept Six Labs waiting for a permit to do so.

In 2020, the Woodstock City Council approved for Six Labs to open a business that included infusion, transportation and craft-growing with plans to pursue a dispensary later down the road. But last year, given the hangups at the state, the company asked to modify its plan and initially open as just an infusion and transportation business.

That permit will expire next year.

Comments from commissioners on the dispensary permit were sparse and contained to how the building for the business, located at 1411 S. Eastwood Drive, was coming along, given the substantial changes that had to be made to the site.

Before owning the building, the property hosted a Golf and Games miniature golf site. Prepping the site for the new business required construction and removal of various features.

“We’re happy to have you guys here and can’t wait for you to open,” Commissioner Cody Sheriff said.

No one from the public spoke at the meeting, which served as a public hearing for the item.

If the dispensary gets final approval, it will be a storefront that could go behind the building that already exists, meaning it could have minimal visibility from Route 47, Lance Shalzi with Six Labs said at the meeting.

The special-use permit could be considered by the City Council in May, Building and Zoning Director Joseph Napolitano said at the meeting.

As part of the approval, in addition to acquiring a state license, Six Labs will be required to submit a security plan to the Illinois State Police, Napolitano said.

“We believe it’s an appropriate location for the site,” Napolitano said. “The building will fit into the surrounding neighborhood.”

Along with Six Labs, two other similar businesses were approved by Woodstock City Council in 2020.

Recreational marijuana has been legal in Illinois for more than three years and is now starting to see more businesses tied to it sprout up in McHenry County.

Those include the first dispensary to open in the county, RISE Lake in the Hills, which was followed by Ivy Hall Crystal Lake earlier this year.