WRIGLEYVILLE — Security plans for a proposed medical marijuana dispensary in Lakeview left some neighbors so satisfied they suggested nearby bars implement the same measures.
The 24/7 on-site security and extensive surveillance camera capabilities were enough to convince some that MedMar Inc. would successfully operate at 3812 N. Clark St.
"The security is admirable, and I think [the bars] are a much more important issue than what we're talking about," said resident David Stahl. The bars "are the source of a lot of violence and disruption in this neighborhood."
Still, an online survey circulated by a concerned neighbor shows 83 percent opposed the location, while 70 percent felt it was too close to the newly opened Uptown dispensary.
Blaine Elementary parent Mark Thomann said Monday that he has mostly shared the survey with friends and family and got about 100 respondents. Thomann said he's hoping to get opinions from people both for and against the dispensary before the zoning hearing next week.
While Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said feedback from neighbors would help shape a Good Neighbors Agreement, all decisions rest with the Zoning Board of Appeals, which will decide whether to grant MedMar a special-use permit at a 2 p.m. meeting Dec. 18.
John Sullivan, chief security officer for MedMar Inc. and former state prosecutor, assured residents that should the day come when Illinois legalizes recreational marijuana use, the Lakeview MedMar won't take part.
"The short answer is, 'Absolutely not,'" Sullivan said. "It's set up as a doctor's office. I'm a prosecutor, and I wouldn't get involved in it" otherwise.
While only the zoning board can legally tie MedMar to a Good Neighbors Agreement, the for-profit company could voluntarily submit to a plan of operations even if it isn't tied to the special-use permit.
A handful of neighbors seeking a guarantee of safety in the area were left wanting. Lakeview resident David Dalka asked that MedMar hire a second security guard who could escort patients to their vehicles.
Dalka said it took police 45 minutes last week to respond to a beating he'd witnessed, "and in a world where that's happening, any additional burden on police in this neighborhood is not negotiable."
Sullivan repeated his promise of enhanced security in the area, but "nobody can guarantee everybody's safety" in the neighborhood, he said.
A vital question that remains is whether the proposed location would violate state laws prohibiting a dispensary within 1,000 feet of a day care. At issue is whether an unlicensed day care housed within a nearby domestic violence shelter qualifies.
The state is expected to clarify the issue in the next week, said Bennett Lawson, Tunney's chief of staff.
Of those who responded to Thomann's survey, 70 percent said they felt the dispensary should not be allowed so near the day care center, even if it is unlicensed.
MedMar representatives did not appear daunted by the issue.
"The state has our application and all of the knowledge about its location as well," zoning attorney Katriina McGuire said. "If the state believes our location is implicated, we will not get approved. It's as simple as that."
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