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Lambertville business owners and residents urge council to let dispensaries stay open until 9 p.m.
Summary
Local business owners and residents asked the Lambertville City Council to amend the local ordinance to allow cannabis retail businesses in the central business district to remain open until 9:00 p.m., arguing parity with nearby liquor and restaurant hours and potential benefits to neighboring small businesses.
A representative of the downtown dispensary By the River asked the Lambertville City Council on Feb. 3 to place an ordinance amendment on a future agenda to allow cannabis retailers in the central business district to remain open until 9:00 p.m.
The speaker, identified in remarks as the owner/manager of By the River, said the business has local and state approvals and presented a petition from "over a dozen businesses" in the central business district supporting the change. "We're just asking to be open two hours later," the speaker said, urging the council to schedule the ordinance for consideration so the store and its employees can plan.
Resident Sean Ellis backed the request, saying he was "shocked that there's such resistance" to allowing extended hours and arguing the change would bring additional cannabis tax revenue to the city. John R, a local business owner, and other residents likewise urged parity with stores and restaurants that already stay open later.
An employee of By the River, Dominique Dodge, described customer behavior as practical evidence of demand: "I've seen customers rushing to get there at 7...they work elsewhere and it's like there's a little bit of a gap," she said, adding that the later hours would let residents arriving home after commutes patronize neighborhood businesses.
Another commenter, identified as Remy, told the council that matching dispensary hours to liquor stores would help neighboring merchants and said the dispensary hands out overdose-rescue kits; the speaker also cited research—without a citation in the public remarks—that broader access to dispensaries can reduce overdose rates.
Council President Lambert temporarily rearranged the agenda to allow these public comments but said the council would not act on the ordinance change that evening. A council member announced a recusal from cannabis matters for the meeting due to a conflict; there was no detailed council debate or vote on the ordinance during this session.
What happens next: speakers asked that the council put an ordinance change on the next council agenda so businesses can plan; the transcript records public support but no formal council action or vote on the requested change at this meeting.
