Third Fresno dispensary up for conditional use permit

This Google Street View image shows the strip mall at 6926 N. Willow Ave. in Fresno that is slated to house the nearly 2,500 square-foot STIIIZY Fresno dispensary.

published on January 3, 2023 – 2:26 PM
Written by Frank Lopez

The Fresno Planning Commission is scheduled to weigh in Wednesday on a conditional use permit for a new cannabis dispensary to join the pair currently operating in town.

A conditional use permit is the last bureaucratic hurdle before a licensed dispensary can open in Fresno.

Authentic Fresno Willow LLC, doing business as “STIIIZY Fresno,” is proposing to renovate 2,484 square feet of an existing 12,000 square-foot, multi-tenant strip mall at 6929 N. Willow Ave. just south of Herndon Avenue.

The store’s hours of operation will be 9 am to 10 pm daily, according to an operational statement. The store is expected to employ about 38 people.

The store’s co-owners were listed Brian Mitchell as CEO, James Kim as managing director, Tony Huang as head of operations and Jon Avidor as executive chairman, according to the group’s permit application submitted Dec. 2, 2020.

The owners are associated with Los Angeles-based cannabis holding company The Shryne Group, which operates 18 retail cannabis locations across the state — the closest in Modesto.

In September 2021, The Shryne Group announced that Avidor would take over as CEO from Mitchell, who stepped down from the role for personal reasons unrelated to Shryne, according to a news release.

At that time, Mitchell was charged with multiple counts of fraud related to an alleged workers’ compensation scheme at a Walnut Creek-based painting and construction company he used to own, reported the Mercury News.

Tak Sato with The Shryne Group was appointed to fill Avidor’s position as president with the cannabis company, according to the release.

When reached by phone Tuesday, Sato declined to comment until after the planning commission decision.

According to Authentic Fresno Willow’s Neighborhood Responsibility plan, it held a virtual open house in September 2020 inviting all neighbors within 1,000 feet of the location to attend.

If the project is approved, there are plans to host another open house approximately four weeks prior to opening to listen to additional concerns from neighboring residents and businesses.

Residents near the proposed site have sent letters to the city requesting the Planning Commission reject the conditional use permit.

A total of 21 cannabis permits received preliminary approval from the City of Fresno on Sept. 9, 2021.

The Artist Tree and Embarc were Fresno’s first dispensaries when they debuted in July 2022.

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