GOOD Morning Wilton has learned that a store selling products and paraphernalia used to smoke tobacco and marijuana will likely open in Wilton Center.
The store would be located at 126 Old Ridgefield Rd., across the street from Wilton Library.
Tim Bunting, Wilton’s zoning enforcement officer, confirmed that such a store may be opening at that location. He said Wilton’s Planning & Zoning department requested a letter of intent from the applicant, and Jon Winkler, the individual interested in opening the business here in town submitted the letter on Feb. 26 (see image at the end of the article).
“This store will be a retail store, they’re not going to be a medical marijuana dispensary. They’re not going to sell tobacco products of any type,” Bunting said.
Both Wilton and the state of CT have regulations regarding the sale of medical marijuana; however, there are no ordinances regarding the retail sale of paraphernalia or items used to smoke any kind of tobacco or controlled substance. As a result, says Bunting, there are no regulations that would prohibit this store from opening in town.
“We’re just considering this a retail store,” he told GOOD Morning Wilton.
According to the letter on record and available to the public in the zoning department, the proposed store will be “…an upscale smoke shop and glass gallery that will feature products from local and national glass blowers.” Winkler writes, “We are a well-funded start-up company that seeks a long-term commitment to the community,” and that the store will be called ‘Glass Act.’”
In addition, the letter specifies that the store will be selling, “…the highest quality tobacco glass pipes, water pipes and glass product produced from local and national glass blowers. We have partnered with some of the best manufacturers of oil and concentrate pens, pipes, accessories, glass bubblers, glass spoons and more.”
“I think you know what they’re selling,” Bunting said. “They’re selling the paraphernalia for people that go to medical dispensaries, but they’re not going to be selling any marijuana or anything like that.”
Winkler writes that the store’s target customer is “high-end” and “upscale.”
“The design of the store will resemble an upscale glass art gallery and will offer our clients a relaxed upscale environment to shop at their leisure and appreciate the featured artists glasswork.
“Our goal is to appeal and market to the high-end clientele in Wilton and its surrounding communities who can appreciate art and sop at a progressive and discreet gallery.”
The letter closes with a sentence that reads, “No one under the age of 18 will be permitted in the store.”
While the owners have sent the letter to the town, no paperwork has been filed as of Monday, March 9, and Bunting says a permit has not yet been issued. He noted that sometimes prospective businesses send such letters of intent, but don’t follow through.
“This is all on speculation; they may or may not come here. They’re looking at this site, but I don’t know if they’re looking at other sites. I don’t know for sure, but I haven’t issued a permit for them. A lot of people come to us and say they want to open up this or that, and then we don’t hear from them,” he said.
There is a website for glassactct.com, which lists a street address of 128 Old Ridgefield Rd. and appears to offer items for sale online. However, the website looks as if it’s still being designed, with sample text and few pictures.
There is also a Facebook page for Glass Act, which categorizes the business as “Shopping & Retail” and “Gallery,” and has an image of back side of the Wilton Center building as the Cover Photo. It lists 126 Old Ridgefield Rd. as the street address for the business and hours the store will be open as 10 a.m. – 8 p.m..
If all the paperwork is submitted in order, Bunting says a zoning permit could be issued on the spot. But as of now, no official paperwork has been filed, and as such he has not yet issued the owners a permit. He says the paperwork a prospective business would typically bring in includes a schematic plan of the store describing how it would be set up, if any dividing walls would be erected, etc.. Such plans have to be reviewed by zoning officials as well as the town’s fire marshal and building department before a store could open.
Bunting will issue permits to businesses that prove their intended use complies with the zone in which they’d be located. “In the Wilton Center zone, we allow retail. And it’s a retail store. They don’t have a license for medical marijuana dispensary.”
The town’s P&Z Commission recently did enact regulations governing medical marijuana dispensaries, and as part of those regulations, there are stipulations that cover paraphernalia. But those regulations don’t cover this store, says Bunting.
“The paraphernalia part of our regulations only come into play when you’re opening a licensed dispensary for marijuana. I spoke to [Bob Nerney] the town planner, he said that wouldn’t apply in this case. It would just be a retail store because they’re not going under as a medical dispensary.” [Editor’s note: Nerney is out of town at a conference and was not available for comment.]
In addition, there are no restrictions governing a business that sells such paraphernalia with regard to distances from schools, libraries or religious institutions. “Again, they’re not going in as a dispensary. Those regulations only apply to a dispensary facility, since they’re not going to be selling tobacco products of any kind,” Bunting said.
Bunting also clarified that the P&Z Commission will not hold any public hearing or discussion about this store.
“There wouldn’t be on this,” he said, “because it’s retail use and we allow retail. We don’t have anything that would prevent this retail store from going in. Not that we want to prevent any retail store from going in. But we don’t have a category for this exact type of retail. What they’re selling, you can sell that sort of stuff.”
GOOD Morning Wilton contacted Arthur Levitan, the owner of 126 Old Ridgefield Rd., late last week. While he would not confirm whether the business will be renting a space in his building, he did say that, “things need to be sorted out before I can have this conversation.”
