Rejected medical marijuana dispensary sues to open in Palatine

Owners of a proposed medical marijuana dispensary in Palatine are suing the northwest suburb, claiming they met all state and local requirements but still were rejected from setting up shop.

Nature’s Care Company’s special use permit for a dispensary at 310 W. Colfax St. was approved by the Palatine zoning board twice last fall before the full village board unanimously turned it down in December, according to the injunction filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court.

Board members cited insufficient parking and proximity to homes in the neighborhood in rejecting the dispensary, the suit says.

Nature’s Care claims their dispensary would utilize off-street parking that is allowed under village regulations. They also say their business wouldn’t affect local foot traffic or or create more of a disturbance for residents than auto repair shops and manufacturing plants on Colfax already do.

Palatine Village Manager Reid Otteson said the suit had not been served as of Friday evening and declined to comment.

The dispensary has already received state licensing and would employ up to 17 people full-time, the suit says.

The injunction claims the village is infringing on the proprietors’ constitutional rights to use the land and seeks immediate nullification of Palatine’s denial, plus court costs.