Community Board 11 passed a motion last week to send an email of no objection for a new recreational dispensary licensee seeking to set up shop in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx.
David Nicponski, the CEO and co-founder of Freshly Baked NYC, told board members and the public on Thursday, Oct. 26 that he’s looking forward to engaging with the East Bronx community.
Nicponski has a legal conditional adult-use retail dispensary (CAURD) license issued by the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). He told the Bronx Times in a previous interview that while he already has a Queens delivery location, he’s been looking for a physical storefront that fits state regulations for more than six months. His application is for the location of a furniture store at 2152-2154 White Plains Road.
“We are thrilled at the prospect of joining this vibrant community and I assure you we do not take this opportunity lightly,” he said during last Thursday’s meeting.
The Freshly Baked CEO assured board members that his operation would follow all of New York state’s legal requirements for cannabis dispensaries. He said that he thinks it’s crucial to distinguish himself as a legal retail dispensary and not a smoke shop with unregulated marijuana, and emphasized that he won’t advertise or market to underage kids.
In addition, Nicponski said during CB11’s Economic Development Committee meeting earlier this month that some board members suggested he devise a community engagement plan to better familiarize himself with his customer base in Pelham Parkway.
“It was an excellent idea and something that we’ll definitely follow through with,” he said during last Thursday’s full board meeting, but noted that he doesn’t currently have a plan in place for his first day of legal operation.
The motion to send an email of no objection to OCM passed with just one CB11 board member objection and three abstentions. Naomi Pemberton objected, and members Serena Muñiz, Bernadette Ferrara and Janice Walcott abstained.
The Bronx has lagged behind other boroughs since OCM announced its first round of CAURD licenses almost a year ago — a restorative justice program that is meant to provide entrepreneurial opportunities in the legal cannabis industry to individuals who have been impacted by the over-policing of marijuana.
The Bronx’s first legal recreational dispensary, Statis Cannabis Co., opened in Crotona on July 6 — about eight months after the state issued its first CAURD licenses.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
