Dispensary request doesn’t receive city council support

You won’t be driving to 21^st Street in Peru to pick up a medical marijuana prescription. A request to change the zoning rules for a medical marijuana dispensary was shot down by the Peru City Council Monday night without a vote.

Before the topic came up, several people with houses or property near the proposed site explained why they were against the location. Realtor Barb Kuzma thought it would make the neighborhood unsafe. She and builder Dick Fay thought it would hurt property values. Another woman, Jennifer Ebner, said it would ruin her plans to open a childcare center on Marquette Road.

City council members agreed it wasn’t a good location for a dispensary. Alderman Mike Radtke reminded everyone that the site is zoned for office space and not retail, which is largely why the Zoning Board of Appeals didn’t recommend a change.

When it came time to vote on the request the council didn’t. Nobody made a motion and the request died.