Bloomfield to hold public hearing on a proposed hybrid Cannabis dispensary
The Town Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing Thursday for a proposed medical and retail cannabis dispensary in the center of town.
If approved, it would be the town's first cannabis dispensary, according to Jon Colman, Bloomfield's assistant director of building and land use.
The proposed site is at 12 Seneca Road, just west of the plaza that include's Elizabeth's Restaurant and across the street from the police department.
Colman said the TPZ approved and added zoning regulations for the retail sale of cannabis in August 2022.
"Cannabis retail stores are heavily regulated under state law and this proposed establishment would need to comply with not only the local regulations, but all the applicable state regulations and laws," Colman said in an email Monday.
The proposed retail store would be located in an existing building on the property and no alterations to the exterior are proposed. The first floor is approximately 2,400 square feet and the finished lower level is approximately 1,450 square feet. The building was formerly used as a beauty parlor.
The applicant, according to town records, is Michael Berke, president of Branford-based Oxford Group LLC. Berke did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The owner of the property, according to the application, is Leonardo Gugliotti, whose family owns Gugliotti Salon and Suites of Rocky Hill. According to the company website, Gugliotti became a licensed hairstylist when he was 16 and holds a master's degree in international business from the University of Hartford. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Colman said that once the commission closes the public hearing, it can act or defer action until its next meeting. If the commission decides to act, it can approve or disapprove the application, he said.
The meeting and public hearing begins at 7 p.m. Thursday and will also be broadcast via Zoom.
