As New York state considers new zoning distance rules for cannabis shops, the City of Peekskill is looking at how it could prevent more shops from taking root in the city. It comes at a time when several residents have been sharing cannabis anxieties about their neighborhood, most recently at a Aug. 18 public hearing on a proposed cannabis microbusiness at Washington Street.
"Why bring that in Peekskill?" questioned resident Regina Brons. "Why, because we look like [somebody who's] not going to say anything? And no matter what we complain, people are not going to listen? This is our investment. This is our lives."
Deputy Mayor Patricia Riley explained that when the council voted to allow dispensaries in 2022, she along with then councilwoman and present Mayor Vivian McKenzie were the only ones on the council to vote no. This, she said, was because she did not believe the state had a good blueprint or roadmap.
"I was disturbed by the fact that New York state, at the time, didn't have all their ducks in a row," Riley said. "I felt [the rollout] wasn't ready yet… The reason we voted no at that time is we knew this was going to happen."
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