
By 25 News
NORMAL – It’s up to the local government whether Normal will soon get its second dispensary selling cannabis for recreational use.
Normal’s Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing next Thursday, Jan. 19 to consider a special use permit for a dispensary where the Mandarin Garden Restaurant now stands on Mall Drive near the corner of East College Avenue and Veterans Parkway in Northeast Normal.
The business would be called High Haven, owned by a company based in the Chicago suburb of Glenview.
Normal’s staff recommends the zoning board and the town council approve the request from owners Allen and David Yu.
Normal’s other cannabis dispensary, Beyond Hello, is located on Northtown Road on the north side of town.
Bloomington has a Beyond Hello cannabis dispensary on Veterans Parkway on the city’s east side.
Last June, the Bloomington City Council approved on a 5-3 vote a special use permit for a cannabis dispensary on JC Parkway, close on the west side Walmart and Blain’s Farm & Fleet, but that business isn’t open yet.
Next Thursday’s public hearing is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Normal’s council chambers at Uptown Station.