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Local businessman urges village to limit number of cannabis dispensaries, citing state rollout problems
Summary
A local businessman who has worked in New York's cannabis industry urged the Village of Vermont trustees to consider capping dispensaries and shared concerns about state licensing and real-estate activity; trustees asked him to share examples of ordinances from other municipalities.
At the May 5 meeting, Donnie Moskovic, a Rockland County businessman who said he has worked in real estate and the cannabis industry since 2015, urged the Village of Vermont Board of Trustees to consider limiting the number of cannabis dispensaries allowed in the village.
Moskovic told trustees he has advised municipalities on ordinances and said several towns in the region initially had no caps, which he said contributed to an overconcentration of outlets in some places. He recommended setting limits and said uncontrolled rollouts can lead to “price compression” and to store operators and investors engaging in rapid real-estate grabs that do not result in well-run retail locations.
“It's a real estate grab,” Moskovic said, describing recent state licensing rounds and arguing that applicants sometimes lock up sites they cannot afford to open, then attempt to flip them. He advised trustees to review local ordinances that set caps and asked the board to accept a copy of resolutions he referenced. The mayor asked Moskovic to email the examples distributed to the board so staff could review them.
Moskovic referenced nearby communities by name during his remarks, including Nyack, Piermont, Spring Valley and Airmont, and said Rockland County currently has one operating dispensary. He did not ask the board to take immediate action at the May 5 meeting; rather, he offered to present more information to trustees and to meet with officials about ordinance language.
