Sep. 19, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

Council Member Robert Holden has announced that a proposed adult-use cannabis dispensary slated to open on Grand Avenue in Maspeth has not been approved by the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) because it violates New York state’s mandated 500-foot buffer zone between dispensaries and schools.

The proposed dispensary, which was slated to open at 71-10 Grand Ave., met significant community opposition because it was located 446 feet from an entrance to PS 58 – the School of Heroes, a K-5 school serving hundreds of local children. Under New York’s cannabis retail siting law, dispensaries are prohibited from opening within 500 feet of a school entrance.

Community members had also raised concerns that the proposed dispensary would be located in close

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