Work Resumes At Fulop-Linked Cannabis Dispensary In Hoboken

HOBOKEN, NJ — After a proposed cannabis dispensary in uptown Hoboken has sat vacant for months, construction has resumed.

Over the last four years, the proposed Story dispensary at 14th and Hudson streets has elicited controversy, a court settlement, and a petition.

Neighbors in the densely populated residential area have complained about the potential traffic the business might bring.

Dispensaries have been slow to open in mile-square Hoboken after the state made recreational marijuana use legal in 2021.

City Council members apologized in 2022 after saying they inadvertently voted on legislation that made it easier to open a dispensary in a residential neighborhood. Then, they voted to limit dispensaries in town to six. READ MORE: Pot Or Not? More Cannabis Dispensary Applications To Be Heard in Hoboken

At least four dispensaries have opened in Hoboken since then, some after court battles.

But Story Dispensary remained mired in litigation.

Some have questioned whether it received special consideration, especially with its close ties to local politicians.

The dispensary is located in a storefront owned by the wife of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. Jaclyn Fulop owns a branch of her physical therapy practice across the street from the dispensary, and residents of the building have said they were misled to believe that the Story spot would be used for physical therapy.

Building residents sued, but ended up settling the matter last year.

Still, others believe the corner is the wrong location for a dispensary. They've started a petition. READ MORE: Battle Lines Have Been Drawn Around Dispensaries In Hoboken

Proponents say a dispensary will no more harm the area than the bar-restaurants on that block, or elsewhere in the mile-square city.

In the past, Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher questioned whether there have been conflicts of interest, particularly because Mayor Steve Fulop was a close ally of Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla. And one of Jaclyn Fulop's storefront co-owners participated in a pricy fundraiser involving both mayors in 2022.

Several hearings about Story have been held on the city and county level.

Over the last few months, while Steven Fulop was running for governor, the spot lay empty. Work picked up only recently.

Fisher recently said that the business still doesn't have the permits to open as a dispensary.

"So although they are actively building out the space, they are doing so entirely at their own risk ... According to my discussions with the CRC [Cannabis Review Commission]— as of several months ago, a few weeks ago, and again this past Friday— Story have not submitted for re-approval or made any updates to their application."

The building is located at 51–53 14th St.

This month, the state approved licenses for cannabis consumption lounges so that people can smoke their cannabis on site. So far, only dispensaries in Atlantic City, Merchantville and Newark have been approved for this use.

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