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Neighbors and council weigh options after prospective sale of Union Chill cannabis retailer
Summary
A prospective transfer of ownership for the Union Chill cannabis retailer prompted neighbor complaints about traffic, lighting and parking; staff said transfers are contingent on state CRC approval but recommended the new owners meet neighbors and suggested the city consider ordinance changes to require municipal notice of transfers.
Neighbors urged Lambertville officials to require new owners of the Union Chill cannabis retailer to engage with the community after attorneys for prospective purchasers reached out to city staff about transfer procedures.
Staff member Bill said the transfer of ownership is contingent on approval by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission and background checks for new owners, so the state retains primary authority for licensing. He said the city’s existing ordinance did not include a specific municipal-transfer approval step for the business and asked that the prospective buyer notify the city to update records.
Neighbors raised recurring complaints about traffic patterns, double‑parking, lighting and sight lines around the Union Chill parking area and the adjacent Hash House driveway. Several speakers asked the city to require the incoming owners to meet with neighbors, and urged the council to consider changing the municipal code to give the city clearer notice or oversight when ownership of a sensitive use changes hands.
“We should require that they meet with the neighbors and the city first, introduce themselves so we get an opportunity to also share with them what we think the neighbors are,” one resident said during the public-comment period.
Council members and staff described steps already taken — adding one‑way signage, installing a stop sign at a problem exit and asking the business to dedicate parking for adjacent residences — and said they will collect specific written complaints for follow-up engineering and planning review. Several councilmembers said they want to draft ordinance language to improve municipal tracking of ownership changes and to ensure new owners inherit any neighborhood commitments or conditions tied to prior approvals.
What happens next: Staff will ask the prospective purchaser to provide notice to the city, compile written neighbor complaints for engineer review, and begin drafting potential ordinance language to require municipal notification or neighbor engagement for ownership transfers of licensed cannabis retailers and similar uses.
