Fresno has awarded its final four cannabis licenses. So, when are stores opening?
By all indications, 2022 will be the year for legalized weed in Fresno.
On Friday, the city awarded four new marijuana retail licenses, bringing the number of businesses with preliminary approval back to 21, three in each council district and the maximum allowed under Fresno’s cannabis code.
Authentic 559, Embarc Fresno, High Speed Healing and Beyond Rooted were given preliminary approvals; High Speed Healing and Beyond Rooted were awarded licenses as social equity applicants.
Two of the licenses, Authentic 559 and Beyond Rooted, have ties to former Major League Baseball pitcher Matt Garza, one of several Fresno insiders who showed early interest in bringing cannabis businesses to town.
Authentic 559 will open on Ashlan Avenue west of Highway 99 and is a partnership with the Shryne Group, known for the popular STIIIZY product line.
Beyond Rooted will open on Fulton Street at Belmont Avenue.
High Speed Healing is to be located on F Street in Chinatown, while Embarc Fresno will be at Shaw and West avenues in the same center as Angry Chickz.
These were the licenses that became available following a series of appeals in October and it’s likely they will also end up before the council. In the past, District 1 Councilmember Esmeralda Soria and District 3 Councilmember Miguel Arias said they would appeal any licenses the city manager re-awarded. Those appeals are due by Jan. 3, according to the city.
The first shops could open by spring
How quickly any of the 21 retailers will be open and operating is dependent on how fast they can submit the required documentation and receive the needed conditional use permits, according to Sontaya Rose, the city’s director of communications.
So far, only four business have submitted CUP applications. Another eight have completed per-applications.
The first applicant to file its CUP is estimating a spring opening, Rose said.
The Artist Tree had already met with Fresno police about its north Fresno location in October and had hoped to have a meeting before the planning commission soon after. Store owners said they planned to open in the Park Place shopping center mid-spring.
Lawsuits pending
At the same time, several companies have filed lawsuits with the city over its handling of the licensing process. Catalyst Fresno filed suit in November, claiming several of the businesses that received preliminary approval had lied on their applications and were therefore not eligible for the licenses.
In another lawsuit filed in November, Perfect Union requested a stay against the city, saying the company’s application was unfairly scored. That case will be heard in January.