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Vaping Lounge, Marijuana Dispensary Proposed Near Head Start

Carol Denney
Saturday January 25, 2020 - 07:59:00 PM
West Berkeley Head Start School
West Berkeley Head Start School

Neighbors to the proposed marijuana dispensary and "vaping lounge" at University and San Pablo discovered their local school was left off the map which, if included, would have precluded the dispensary's zoning certification. The Planning Department says the Berkeley Patients Group certification has been granted. They had no explanation for the omission of the school.

Teachers at the YMCA Headstart School were baffled when shown the map, which they claim leaves out not only their 10th Street location but three locations of Headstart programs as well. Headstart Schools serve families, pregnant women, and children from three years old through kindergarten. Educational services include "language development, literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts" among additional services.

The proposed marijuana dispensary has already caused concern because it is next to the West Branch Public Library. Most California cities with dispensaries include libraries in their buffer zones. 

None of the neighbors to the proposed site or the business owners nearby were consulted about the controversial proposal, which City of Berkeley representatives referred to as an "administrative matter." 

Another Telegraph Avenue dispensary relocation was put before the Berkeley City Council for discussion before granted a permit, but the Berkeley Patients Group, which has donated liberally to the Berkeley City Councilmembers, was granted the certification without any public notice to the neighborhood.