Indoor pot-growing facility may be coming to Hackensack warehouse

HACKENSACK — A warehouse in an industrial city neighborhood near Route 80 may become the site of an indoor cannabis farm.

Trikhoma LLC is looking to open a growing facility at the southern end of Hackensack. It gained the City Council’s support last week in its application to the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission for a cultivator license.

If the state approves the company’s application, it will need to come back to the city for zoning construction permits and other approvals, said Steve Kleinman, the city attorney.

“There is a lot still to do, but this was a critical step,” he said. “You cannot get a license without showing the municipality is supportive of what you’re trying to do.”

Two years ago, the council voted to allow one cannabis retail dispensary and one cultivator in limited areas. The number of cultivator licenses was later doubled after the city was approached by two interested companies.

But both companies had difficulty finding space in the small industrial area near the Lodi line that had been zoned to allow cannabis cultivation.

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“Hackensack property values are strong,” Kleinman said. “They just weren’t able to secure property at a price they felt they could afford.”

Trikhoma is under contract to buy a nearly 20,000-square-foot warehouse at 286-290 Lodi St., said Ryan McGee, an attorney for the company.

The company’s leaders work in construction, and its COO owns a cannabis business in Colorado with a 38,000-square-foot cultivation facility that produces roughly 20,000 pounds per year, McGee told the council.

“Working in the cannabis space, where you see potential shortcomings are often in two places: the ability to build out a state-of-the-art facility and cannabis experience behind the operation,” he said. “I believe the leadership team at Trikhoma checks both of those boxes.”

Municipalities reap a 2% transfer tax from such companies on top of the property taxes they pay. The company also plans to donate $5,000 to city parks, McGee said.

Trikhoma plans to work with the city Police Department and have it review security measures. The business could bring 30 to 40 jobs to the city, he said.

“We were very careful in choosing the zone where this was allowed to be,” Deputy Mayor Kathy Canestrino said. “They seem to be following all of the things laid out by the state. I wish them well and hope things go well for that particular business.”

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Hackensack voters supported legalizing marijuana by more than 70% in a 2020 referendum. A cannabis retailer has taken out construction permits for a storefront in a shopping center along Route 17 to build out the site, Kleinman said.

The zones for cannabis retail sales and cultivation were chosen for their minimal impact on residents, he said.

“We believed these would be the least disruptive locations,” he said. “Route 17 is easy in, easy out and away from residential neighborhoods. The cultivation area is more industrial, with lots of warehouses and small businesses, so it was seen as the most appropriate place.”

If a second cultivator is unable to find space in the zone, the city could consider expanding the location, he said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hackensack NJ warehouse eyed by marijuana-growing business