Belleville OKs permits for indoor pot farm off Illinois 15
Belleville aldermen have approved permits for an indoor marijuana farm that the developer said could create 20 to 40 jobs in a new building off Illinois 15.
Shalondria Simpson, a pharmacist from Texas, was granted the special-use permits in a 15-1 vote Monday night.
Simpson and her business partners will still need to get state approval. And the City Council would have to approve the building design for the site in the 8900 block of Bevo Court in the Eagle Pointe Office Park on the west side of the city near the large “Welcome to Belleville” sign.
The cannabis products produced inside the 22,500-square-foot building would not be sold to the general public. Instead, the business would distribute them to dispensaries that have permits to sell the weed.
The pot growing business is officially known as an “adult-use cannabis craft grower organization” and the delivery business is known as an “adult-use cannabis transporting organization,” according to state law.
Illinois legalized marijuana on Jan. 1 for adults, and you can buy it at dispensaries in Collinsville and Sauget.
The state had previously allowed sales of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Simpson, who owns a pharmacy that’s inside a hospital in Houston, said she has applied for state permits to open dispensaries in the East St. Louis area and Chicago.
Ward 4 Alderman Raffi Ovian cast the lone vote against Simpson’s plan in Belleville. After the council meeting, Ovian said he is opposed to marijuana use on “religious and moral grounds.”
“I will never go ahead and support it,” he said.
Simpson, who called aldermen during their City Council meeting, said she expected to hear from the state by the end of August if her application were approved.
The Department of Agriculture had been tasked with making a decision by July 1 but that deadline was moved back because of coronavirus delays.
Economic impact for city
Simpson said in her city application that based on a “conservative” estimate, the business is expected to generate $6 million in annual gross revenue.
Ward 3 Alderman Kent Randle asked how the city could benefit from any taxes on the cannabis products made in Belleville.
City Attorney Garrett Hoerner said since the farm will not sell products in a retail store on the site, the city will not be able to collect a 3% municipal marijuana tax the council approved last fall.
However, Hoerner said, the state collects a 7% tax on the products sold to dispensaries, and 8% of this fund is distributed to local governments on a per capita basis and can be used for such purposes as crime prevention and training.
Hoerner also noted that the city will get property tax revenue from the site.
Annissa McCaskill, the city’s economic development director, said Simpson must pay a $5,000 annual fee for each of the two special-use permits granted by the City Council.
Building design
Simpson, who plans to move to the metro-east to oversee the project, said in an interview that she plans to build one building.
And she told the aldermen that she intends to have a low-key approach for its design.
“There will not be any neon signs,” she said. “We’re not selling to the public so we want to be as incognito as possible.
“I want to remain as discreet as possible for security purposes.”
One of the planned methods of growing the marijuana is called “aeroponic propagation,” according to Simpson’s application with the state.
“The plant cuttings will be suspended in a closed or semi-closed environment with the plant’s dangling roots exposed in the bottom portion of each machine,” according to the application. “The roots and lower stem will be sprayed in the machine with a nutrient-rich water solution.”
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 7:30 AM.
