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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | M a r c h 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 13 ORANGE MILFORD WEST HAVEN MADISON GUILFORD CHESHIRE BETHANY WOODBRIDGE ORANGE MILFORD SHELTON DERBY ANSONIA OXFORD SEYMOUR HAMDEN NORTH HAVEN NEW HAVEN WEST HAVEN BRANFORD NORTH BRANFORD WALLINGFORD EAST HAVEN Become a Sponsor in 2022 Matches • Match sponsors can choose one or more nonprofits • Matches drive donors to help nonprofits raise more $ and meet the match • Donors are grateful to match sponsors Prizes • Prize sponsors can choose a group of nonprofits by geography and/or cause • Prizes drive donors to help nonprofits raise more $ and win the prize amount • Donors are grateful to prize sponsors Interested? Contact Jackie at jdowning@cfgnh.org. Visit TheGreatGive.org for more informa on about the event. Show your commitment to our local community, enhance goodwill, grow your business… and have fun doing it! Last year The Great Give a racted over 15,000 donors and raised more than $3.3 million for hundreds of nonprofits serving Greater New Haven. Since The Great Give began in 2010, more than $17 million has been raised for 450+ nonprofits. The Community Founda on and its partner in philanthropy, the Valley Commu- nity Founda on, will once again contribute approximately $175,000 in matching gi s and prizes to encourage giving in 2022. You can join us by becoming a spon- sor ($1,000 min.) and increase visibility for your business. Sponsor a match or prize to help the nonprofits you choose leverage more donor dollars. print ad print ad Looking for a commercial lender who's as committed as you? At GE Credit Union, we have a suite of solutions that will work for you so you can get down to business. • Vehicle purchase and refinancing • Commercial real estate lending • Great rates and flexible terms We are GE Credit Union. Committed to New Haven. Committed to your business. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY LENDER. FEDERALLY INSURED BY NCUA. myGECreditUnion.com 800.992.8472 395 Whalley Ave., New Haven Mon–Fri, 8:30–4:00 • Sat 8:30–noon "Maybe rural communities are appropriate places to have a grow facility because they are farming communities, [but they may not be a right fit for a retail store]," Kaufman said. "Every town is going to find a different way to create opportunities consistent with the new law based on their unique situations." Still, the needs of prospective busi- nesses and municipalities can differ. For example, a city like New Haven might not want a dispensary next to Yale or Southern Connecticut State University, or by a stretch of boutique shops. "What might be the best economi- cally in terms of foot traffic and visi- bility may not actually be desirable to the town," Kaufman said. "ey may not want it on their main street where all the shopping is." Glissman said what cannabis busi- nesses are in most need of is clarity on where communities stand on the industry. Early movers Manchester is one town that didn't institute a moratorium. Gary Ander- son, the town's director of planning and economic development said Man- chester's Planning and Zoning Com- mission supported the idea of draing zoning regulations for prospective businesses. "It provides some options for new businesses that are looking to get started and get ahead of the mar- ket," Anderson said of Manchester's zoning rules. "We saw a good deal of interest even before the regulations were passed, with people reaching out and asking about Manchester." In December, Manchester's Plan- ning and Zoning Commission voted to allow cannabis retail stores in the town's general business district and comprehensive urban development (CUD) zone. Cultivators can be located in industrial and CUD zones. Both business types must first receive a special exception permit. Hartford's Planning and Zoning Commission signed off on similar rules last year, allowing retail can- nabis businesses downtown and in other commercial and industrial districts. Hartford City Councilwoman Tiana Hercules is also a budding cannabis entrepreneur. She said she's finalizing her application to open a retail cannabis business called Lady Jane, and honing in on a potential location in the Capital City. Having zoning clarity makes the complex process of opening a cannabis business a little easier, Hercules said. "e location is in the right zoning area, so we'll go through the permit- ting process once we have a [letter of intent] signed off," Hercules said. "Hartford is an innovative city and certainly wants to be open to indus- try that can benefit the community. It creates a buzz, it creates a destination for the city." Luke Massirio, a commercial real estate broker with O,R&L Commer- cial LLC, has worked with landlords and companies looking for cannabis business locations. He said navigat- ing which municipalities permit the industry has been a challenge. In addition, many landlords want money up front to take a property off the market, so companies with deeper pockets have an edge in securing real estate. "e operators that are going to make it are going to be the ones that put some option money up so that the landlords will actually hold the property for them and not just waste time because there's no guarantee they will get [a license to operate]," Massirio said. Lavernoich, the Bridgeport Eco- nomic Development Corporation president, said his city's zoning ordi- nance underwent a major overhaul at the end of 2021, that included identifying three specific industrial zones that can host legal cannabis businesses. While he said he's glad Bridgeport is allowing the industry, some argue the city's zoning rules are too restrictive. "ere's some people that think we, collectively as [a city], are not taking advantage of the commercial opportunity that's being presented by restricting [cannabis businesses] to those three zones and not let- ting things happen on commercial corridors," Lavernoich said. "I don't think there's an unlimited universe of potential sites out there, even in a city like Bridgeport that has a lot of industrial-zoned land. ere's not a lot of inventory available for sale." n These municipalities have approved zoning rules permitting adult use cannabis businesses • Bridgeport • East Hartford • East Lyme • East Windsor • Hartford • Manchester • Meriden • Middletown • Newington • Suffield • Thompson • Vernon Source: Department of Consumer Protection Opening for business Tiana Hercules Gary Anderson

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