LOGAN SQUARE — A cannabis dispensary could open in a laundromat on Logan Square’s Armitage Avenue.
World of Weed Inc. wants to open a dispensary in J&M Laundromat at 3115 W. Armitage Ave. The cannabis company recently applied for a special-use permit with the Zoning Board of Appeals to take over the 6,500-square-foot Logan Square building.
Neighbors are invited to weigh in on the proposal later this month. There are two community meetings planned: an in-person meeting 7 p.m. Sept. 21 at 2337 N. Milwaukee Ave. and a virtual meeting 7 p.m. Sept. 22.
Word of Weed Inc. is a West Coast weed company operated by Alden Linn and Gregory Elliott. The company runs a dispensary in Tacoma, Washington, and has been looking to expand to California and Illinois.
World of Weed’s owners and their attorney, Andrew Scott, didn’t return messages seeking comment Wednesday.
The Logan Square dispensary would have on-site security and 24-hour surveillance, along with other safety measures required under state law, according to the zoning application. It wouldn’t be called “World of Weed,” said Nick Zettel, policy director for Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), whose ward includes the site.
“Ald. La Spata and our office advocated for any branding to be respectful of the neighborhood,” Zettel said.
Elliott and Linn plan to lease the Logan Square laundromat from the property owner, Dae Kim, according to the application. The site’s existing zoning designation allows for a dispensary, so the two don’t need a zoning change to bring a dispensary to the building, Zettel said.
Ahead of the community meetings, Zettel said they’re soliciting feedback on the proposal from neighbors and social equity advocates. Neighbors are encouraged to provide input by emailing the 1st Ward at zoning@the1stward.com.
“On Zoning Board of Appeals cases like this, our goal is to engage our community partners and make sure that our residents are heard as a part of the process,” Zettel said.
An effort in 2020 to open a liquor store in the strip mall next to the laundromat drew fierce backlash from neighbors.
Some Wicker Park residents were displeased in 2019 when they came across World of Weed fliers offering $10,000 to social equity applicants. Linn told Block Club they weren’t trying to “buy” such applicants, but rather help other small operators to break into the industry.
At the time, Linn said they wanted to be “like 7-Eleven,” but for weed.
Elliott and Linn also are trying to open a cannabis dispensary in Montgomery, Illinois, the Tribune reported in April.
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