Community board committee seeks denial of Flintstone‑branded dispensary application at 388 West Street amid proximity and control concerns

Community Board 2’s Cannabis Licensing Committee voted in favor of recommending denial of an application by Elise Palka LLC (doing business as a Flintstone‑branded dispensary) for 388 West Street after members said unresolved questions about school proximity and who controls the business remained unanswered.

Chair Mar Fitzgerald, who presided over the committee, framed the discussion around two central legal issues: measurement of the 500‑foot school buffer and whether the social‑equity licensee would retain operational control. "The law says dispensaries cannot be within 500 feet of school grounds," Fitzgerald said, noting that the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) had previously used a different measurement method and a court injunction has required the state to continue that method until at least February.

The City Club of New York, represented by Leila Logezico, urged the committee to deny or hold the application pending OCM verification. "We require a written confirmation from the Office of Cannabis Management that the site is more than 500 feet from school grounds under the governing standard and that the applicant’s…