A cannabis dispensary is proposed for the building at 2192 Saranac Ave., formerly CrossFit Lake Placid, pictured here on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid-North Elba joint Planning Review Board is currently considering an application for an adult-use cannabis retail dispensary, which would be the first of its kind in the village of Lake Placid. A public hearing will be held during the board’s normal meeting at 5:30 p.m. tonight on the third floor of the North Elba Town Hall.

The dispensary, called The Mellow Moose, would be located at 2192 Saranac Ave., formerly the CrossFit Lake Placid building. According to the project narrative submitted to the review board, the dispensary is intended for off-site consumption.

In the project narrative, the applicants explain their commitment to “legally sourced and quality controlled” products.

“We embrace the legalization of this industry as it offers citizens a safe and regulated means to consume products that they will otherwise obtain through black-market sources,” the application states. “Through regulation, not only will consumers have a more transparent and safe means of recreating, but it will also provide tax revenue for local municipalities and the state of New York.”

Medical cannabis was legalized in New York in 2016, with recreational use legalized in March 2021. There is currently one other dispensary in the Tri-Lakes, Elevate ADK, which opened in the Saranac Lake part of the town of North Elba in 2023. The tax revenue has provided a boost to the town, with grant money from the cannabis taxation funds going to support a variety of projects that support local youth, elderly community members and law enforcement.

Recent grants from this fund have gone towards renovations at Northern Lights School, purchasing a TruNarc handheld narcotics analyzer for the Lake Placid Police Department and helping cover the cost of competition for the Lake Placid RobOlympians robotics team.

At tonight’s hearing, members of the public will be given an opportunity to speak. There is also an option to attend remotely, with the Zoom link found on the village website.