Final Green Light Given For Cannabis Dispensary In Morristown

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A new marijuana dispensary in Morristown has recently received its final approval for construction from the Morristown Planning Board.

The business will be housed in a two-story building on Ridgedale Avenue, making it the town's first cannabis dispensary. The initial decision and plan presentation occurred last month, but the final approval came on March 23.

Uma Flowers won the recreational license from Morristown's council over five other applicants, including The Summit, based in Bridgewater, which proposed a dispensary at 65-66 Market Street.

The future dispensary will be located at the former Sam's Automotive Repair location, 102 Ridgedale Avenue.

The land is currently owned by the neighboring Morris Brick and Stone Co., which will lease it to Uma Flowers to run the cannabis business.

An opening date for the store was not discussed during the plan presentation, but the dispensary will provide customers with both recreational and medicinal marijuana products.

Tejal and Priyanka Patel, sisters-in-law who own Uma Flowers, told the board that they worked in public health and pharmacy, respectively, before starting the cannabis company about a year ago.

Tejal Patel emphasized that while the company only has one listed location, construction is underway for a second dispensary in Massachusetts that will open this summer.

The dispensary will initially be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

According to Tejal Patel, each shift will have 12 to 13 employees: six at registers, two filling orders, one to two greeters, a receptionist, a security guard at the entrance and a parking attendant.

The Morristown Police Department will also initially deploy a security detail during peak hours.

The lack of trees in the site plan was one of several board members' concerns with the application. The town requires a total of 12 trees for that property, which the applicant does not meet.

According to Richard Schommer, the project engineer, there was simply not enough space for the required 12 trees due to the size and features of the site. As a compromise, the applicants stated that they would be willing to plant the extra trees elsewhere in town.

Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty said that he liked that compromise and asked Schommer to consider putting the trees in the back of the site, along the Whippany River, and around the municipality.

"Our tree canopy is very important to us. My condition of approval is to work with the shade tree because they are very in tune with the arborists on what gets planted in Morristown and not just any tree," Dougherty said.