St. Joseph Faces Hurdles In Cannabis Dispensary Plans

A municipal cannabis dispensary could still happen in St. Joseph but the city is now looking for a new location and someone to operator the facility.  St. Joe Mayor Adam Scepaniak joined me on WJON.  He says they need to select an operating group and find a location.  Scepaniak says the city doesn't want to run the cannabis dispensary but rather have someone else operate it.  He says they had an operating group selected but that group can no longer do it citing capacity issues.

Location

Scepaniak indicates the city thought they had a location chosen but that has also fallen through.  The spot they had an agreement with was in the strip mall along County Road 75 that also includes Snap Fitness.  Scepaniak says that owner is not someone the city feels they can work with so they are moving on.  He says the city is looking along the County Road 75 corridor because that is the one area where this would be an allowable use.  Scepaniak explains there aren't any available parcels at this time.   He says the city doesn't want to build a building from scratch and extend themselves financially.  Scepaniak says they are actively looking for both a location and operator.

Bonding Request

The city of St. Joseph has also requesting $2.25 Million from the state legislature.  Those bonding dollars would go toward a lift station and water tower in their industrial park.  Scepaniak says the city has one parcel available.  He says if the money is granted they could service over 80 acres of land and allow for more industrial buildout.  Scepaniak says this would allow them to draw more businesses to the city.  He believes this could bring in millions of dollars coming into the city.

Housing in 2026

A goal of the city of St. Joseph in 2026 is to increase housing opportunities.  Scepaniak says the southside of town near Kennedy Community School is an area of housing growth opportunity.  He says there is an area of 80-100 acres of land still in the city limits.  Scepaniak says the city is looking to rezone the area to make it more desirable for developers.

Last State of the City Speech

Scepaniak has been visiting various locations with what he calls "State of the City" talks.  He has one remaining at the St. Benedict Monastery on Wednesday, April 15 at 3:30pm.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Adam Scepaniak, click below.