BRADLEY — Recreational-use marijuana will be available in Bradley perhaps within the next five to six months.
And the sale of the long-illegal product could stuff the village’s budget with perhaps upwards of $300,000 annually thanks to the additional 3 percent sales tax many municipalities placed on their books when the state green-lighted marijuana sales.
At Monday’s Bradley Village Board meeting, trustees approved a special use permit allowing Route Lake Beach-based GRD Illinois LLC to operate Kankakee County’s first retail marijuana store.
The business will be located at 1660 State Route 50 within approximately 4,000 square feet of the south portion of the 8,980-square-foot former Pier 1 Imports store immediately west of the Northfield Square mall property.
The Pier 1 site has been vacant since closing in January 2020.
The special use permit request was not met with any significant objections from the public. The trustees also did not raise any concerns.
When the vote concluded, Bradley Mayor Mike Watson told the company representatives, who had joined the meeting via Zoom, that they had the necessary approvals to begin.
“Congratulations,” Watson said. “Looking forward to working with you.”
The location is in one of the village’s prime business locations along Illinois 50 and across the street from the Target-anchored shopping complex.
Watson said after the meeting Illinois law allows marijuana to be a part of local commerce and while he is sure there are those not thrilled with the prospect of having a retail devoted to this type of product, the law is clear on this subject.
He said while some may object to this being in a highly visible area, he said that may aid the business in terms of making sure everything operates properly.
If all goes as hoped by the ownership group, headed by Nevil Patel, of Columbia, Mo., the business could be open by early 2022. At last week’s Bradley Planning & Zoning Commission, Patel said upwards of $300,000 to $500,000 could be invested into the site to get it ready for business.
The location is owned by Dr. Theodore Pantos, of Grosse Pointe, Mich.
Similar to alcohol, a purchaser of marijuana must be 21 years of age.
Adult-use marijuana sales is a big and growing business in Illinois. According to the state’s Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations, the department which oversees the retail sale of marijuana, some $121.9 million of the substance was sold statewide in August. In August 2020, the state’s sales figure was $63.9 million.
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