Norwich ― The city has issued its first local zoning permit for a cannabis shop.

The business partnership of Derrick Gibbs and Carl Tirella received approval to place a 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot adult recreational cannabis retail store in the former Family Dollar store at 425 W. Main St. The approval is contingent on the group receiving a state retail cannabis license from the state Department of Consumer Protection.

The group, under the business name BudR Holding 3 LLC, based in Middletown, has been approved by the Social Equity Council portion of the state recreational cannabis law that gives preference to license applicants who locate retail establishments in cities designated as disproportionately affected by the so-call war on drugs, including Norwich.

Gibbs said Monday his background is in home healthcare, with experience in state licenses processes in general. Partner Tirella has operated medical cannabis operations. The Norwich proposal is for recreational cannabis only, Gibbs said.

Gibbs said the partnership is working hard to be among the first to open cannabis stores in Connecticut and hopes to open the Norwich store in spring. The group has applications in West Hartford and Danbury in addition to Norwich.

Norwich officials have been marketing the city to cannabis businesses and see it as a way to boost revenues for the city. The city will receive 3% of revenue from sales of retail cannabis. Gibbs said he met Norwich Community Development Corp. President Kevin Brown at a cannabis forum in New Haven seven months ago and later toured Norwich with Brown looking for possible locations.

City Zoning Enforcement Officer Richard Shuck said his office has received numerous inquiries from business entities wishing to locate a cannabis retail store in the city. Gibbs’ application was approved Sept. 23 and the permit runs through Sept. 23, 2027. Shuck said permit approvals for more cannabis-based businesses could follow soon.

Cannabis retail stores are allowed in a Norwich commercial zone through administrative permits, but there must be 1,500-foot distance between other cannabis stores― the same as for package stores. The cannabis retail stores must follow strict state regulations for operations, Shuck said.

The zoning permit application described the proposed operation in detail. The store would have 10 to 15 employees, including two to four employees assigned exclusively to security. The store would be open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

All items would be prepackaged and secured in a locked cabinet or vault, retrieved by employees only after the customer pays for the item at a front counter.

Customers who ordered items online for in-store pickup would be greeted by a security employee, who would check their identification and verify they are eligible to complete the purchase. The customer would be escorted to the pick-up area, pay for the product, and wait for an employee to retrieve it from the secured area.

Walk-up customers would be greeted by security who would verify their identity and eligibility, and then escorted to a different counter to browse a pamphlet or binder listing available products.

“Because the intended use is strictly as a retailer,” the application stated, “there will be no outside fumes or odors emanating from the building. All product is prepackaged upon delivery. There will be no on-site use of the product.”

The building plans to have numerous security cameras both inside and outside and those cameras would be monitored by a third-party professional vendor at all times, including after hours.

The application described the Westgate Plaza as “ideal” for a cannabis retail store, because it offers ample parking.

The plaza is located on busy West Main Street near one of three controversial roundabouts proposed by the state Department of Transportation. The reconstruction of West Main Street calls for closing off an entrance witha traffic light into Westgate Plaza and creating a new entrance at the left side of the parking lot from Crane Avenue, now a short, private road that would be converted into a public street.

Gibbs said he was unaware of the roundabout proposal, but the West Main Street location is attractive because of the heavy traffic, large retail stores and restaurants and its vicinity to the region’s two casinos.

c.bessette@theday.com