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Claverack Planning Board pauses dispensary approval amid state notice questions
Summary
The Planning Board held over action on a proposed DEJO cannabis dispensary at 14 NYS Rte. 9‑H after finding discrepancies in the municipal notice timeline and awaiting guidance from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management; the applicant agreed to revise signage near the library.
Chairman Tim Wyman said the Town of Claverack Planning Board would not decide on Gentlemen's Hemp PJ Rte. 9 LLC's site plan on April 15, 2026, until it gets clarification from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (NYS OCM) about whether municipal notice requirements were followed. Attorney Michael Menicucci, representing the applicants, disputed that the applicants failed to notify the town on time and said his clients had obtained a provisional and final license: "they would not have received either without proof," he said, adding he wanted to "bring down the temperature of the situation."
Menicucci also asked the board to disclose the names of a third‑party intervener and supplied a sworn affidavit and copies of email and text messages he said show contact between the applicants and town officials. Chairman Wyman and Town Attorney Rob Fitzsimmons said the board has requested guidance from NYS OCM and has not received a response; Fitzsimmons warned that moving forward without clarity could expose the board to an Article 78 legal challenge. Wyman summarized the board's concern as a procedural one, saying that the notice to the municipality appears to fall outside the OCM window (notice is required 30–180 days before application submission).
The public hearing portion of the item drew questions about signage. Resident Tracy Hennegy asked whether dispensary signage would be permitted within 500 feet of the library. Applicant Joseph Morreale said, "I will have signage now and it was approved by NYS OCM and it is allowed because it is different from advertising," and agreed to submit revised sign designs that omit explicit reference to cannabis (the board requested a sign reading simply "DEJO Dispensary" or similar). The board agreed to hold the application until it receives written guidance from NYS OCM and to accept revised signage at the next meeting if appropriate.
