259 Bowery May Soon Be Home to One of the First Legal Cannabis Dispensaries in the Lower East Side
When asked what his best-case scenario looks like, License holder Bernard Allulli Jr. said a December opening, assuming a pending lawsuit is dismissed at all.
Manhattan Community Board 3's Cannabis Control Task Force met today at the Moxy Hotel (of all places) to discuss an application from Mighty Lucky Inc. to open a weed dispensary in the Lower East Side, the very first of its kind in the neighborhood.
The application lists the corporation's founder and CEO to be Bernard "Beau" Allulli Jr. with 100% ownership. He was granted a provisional license from the state's Cannabis Control Board to open a recreational cannabis dispensary back in April, along with 52 other individuals in New York City.
Individuals with a prior cannabis conviction and that have run a successful business were given preference by the State Office of Cannabis Management as part of the CAURD program. Allulli, as a justice-involved applicant and longtime owner of photography and production company MightyLucky, fit the profile.
He's now filing to secure a full license that would allow him to select and operate a site.
Nine members of the community were in attendance at the meeting itself, where Allulli introduced himself and told the story of how he ended up with one of very few coveted licenses.
The address in question, 259 Bowery, is located between two mixed used buildings that host an art gallery and a restaurant equipment depot in their retail spaces. The space itself was an art gallery some two years ago. Allulli mentioned that he had secured a 15-year lease.
He's sunk a lot of money already on the enterprise, even as the whole CAURD program is thrown into limbo by lawsuits alleging unjust preferential treatment against those who do not fit OCM's profile of a best candidate. He estimates spending about $290,000 of his own and his investors' money on legal and administrative fees.
Renovations haven't even begun.
When asked what his best-case scenario looks like, Allulli said a December opening, assuming the lawsuit is dismissed in the first place and earlier than expected.
Thank you for reading!
Pictured
Possible location at 259 Bowery
Location of 259 Bowery