A new cannabis dispensary is coming to Aquebogue.
The owner of Planet Nugg, a dispensary based in Farmingdale, is opening a second location at 720 Main Road, across the street from Woodside Orchards. The site complies with Riverhead Town’s zoning laws for cannabis businesses, which restrict dispensaries to designated commercial areas and mandate minimum setbacks from residences, schools, churches and other sensitive uses.
Planet Nugg offers a wide variety of cannabis products, including flower, pre-rolls, concentrates, edibles and topicals. Dave Tubens of Dix Hills, the owner of Planet Nugg, said the company prides itself on providing customers with a personalized experience, led by knowledgeable “budtenders” who help educate consumers about different products and their uses.
“I’m a chiropractor. I’ve built my practices based on patient education, and we’ve done well that way,” Tubens said. “And I’ve kind of taken the same approach with cannabis.”
“If it’s going to be something where people are going to get [marijuana], they should get it at the best possible, most compliant place out there — which is what we are,” he added.
Tubens noted that opportunities to open dispensaries on Long Island are limited. The Aquebogue dispensary is bound to draw customers from neighboring Southold Town, where cannabis shops are prohibited.
“We’ve submitted the application under Planet Nugg, but we’re gonna try and call it the North Fork Cannabis Company,” Tubens said, adding that the company is designing the shop to fit the rural character of Main Road.
“We’re looking forward to being in the community, serving the community, fitting in with the community, and really educating the community. That’s our goal,” Tubens said. “We want to be really, really good neighbors to the Riverhead and Aquebogue community.”
Tubens said there is currently no scheduled opening date.
The new store will join two other dispensaries that opened late last year in Riverhead Town. Beleaf is located in the Calverton Commons shopping plaza on Middle Country Road; Strain Stars is located on the corner of Route 58 and Kroemer Avenue in Riverhead.
Another dispensary is planned for a vacant former auto dealership on the corner of Route 58 and Ostrander Avenue in Riverhead. That project received preliminary site plan approval from the Riverhead Planning Board earlier this month.
Several other potential cannabis retailers have attempted to enter the Riverhead market, but have been blocked by the town’s zoning regulations, which restrict dispensaries based on proximity to each other and certain uses like residences, schools and churches. Two of those companies have filed lawsuits against the town after being denied variances by the Zoning Board of Appeals, arguing that the town’s zoning laws for cannabis businesses violate state law.
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