LAKE PLACID — During the Lake Placid-North Elba joint Planning Review Board meeting on Wednesday, the first since it held a well-attended public hearing on a new cannabis dispensary proposed for 2192 Saranac Ave., the board discussed parking and other small changes to the plan, functionally moving the project forward in the approval process.

The application is not formally approved yet, and the board will continue to accept public comments submitted by email or dropped off at the office on the third floor of the North Elba Town Hall. The board scheduled a site visit for next week with the goal of considering the final plans at the next meeting on Aug. 20 at 5:30 p.m.

Chairman Rick Thompson addressed a few of the concerns that had been raised during the hearing. Some people were worried about customers using cannabis in that area, so Thompson wanted to emphasize that the planned business would be a dispensary for off-site consumption only.

To address some concerns about traffic and safety, the board hammered out some recommended changes to the applicant’s parking plan. They also suggested adding a fence to provide privacy and screening for the nearby houses. Final plans for both will be considered and discussed at the next review board meeting.

This dispensary is an allowed use in the village. In early 2024, the village and town land use code was amended to include three new allowed uses — adult use, on site cannabis consumption; adult use, retail cannabis dispensary; and smoke shop and tobacco vape store — in the village center, gateway corridor and Old Military Road areas.

Both dispensaries and on-site consumption are conditional uses, and therefore allowed in the village. This change was made following a 2021 referendum where village voters approved cannabis consumption sites and cannabis dispensaries.

“The proposed dispensary therefore can only be reviewed according to the specific requirements of the land use code, including, but not limited to aesthetics, lighting, parking, traffic, circulation and landscaping,” Thompson said during last month’s hearing. “I’m (saying) this so that everybody understands where our role is as a board.”