The Bronx Community Board’s Economic Development and Public Safety Committee asked staff to request a 30‑day extension from the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to allow more time to review a cannabis retail application for HolyBuds at 2180 White Plains Road and to attempt to secure the applicant’s presence at a future meeting.

Committee staff said the application packet, dated Sept. 26, triggered a 30‑day review window that could be extended if OCM agrees. Chris Kirka, board staff, explained the board routinely asks OCM for extensions to allow time for community review and site visits.

Several committee members and public commenters raised concerns about the HolyBuds application and a second nearby application that appear to be linked by similar contact information. Malcolm, a community commenter, said he had investigated and asked the committee to “request a letter of objection to those 2 sites,” citing apparent lease and operator discrepancies at the properties and the sites’ troubled enforcement histories. Diana Fitch (Diane Fitch) told the committee the locations “cannot both be licensed because they're too close together.”

Committee members agreed it would be unfair to automatically object without giving the applicant the opportunity to respond, so they instructed staff to request a 30‑day extension and to invite the applicant to a future session. Staff then initiated the extension request during the meeting; Chris Kirka said, “I’m sending an email as we speak, so I’m requesting a 30 day extension.”

Members described troubling indicators in preliminary checks: similar phone numbers and email addresses tied to two separate applications, prior closures at both physical locations, and questions raised by property owners about who authorized leases. The committee instructed staff to continue outreach to the applicant and to the 49th Precinct for any enforcement history.

If the applicant does not respond within the extension window, committee members said they will consider sending a letter of objection to OCM; if the applicant appears and answers questions, the committee may provide a different referral. The committee will revisit the matter at a subsequent leadership or economic development meeting.