The CRDA, which regulates zoning in the city’s Tourism District, unanimously approved an application from Sonraj LLC, to open a class 5 micro dispensary at 2415 Pacific Ave., directly behind Boardwalk Hall, a long-vacant property.
The Botanist has another location on the Boardwalk near South Carolina in Atlantic City, but that will continue to be medical only as Atlantic City’s City Council has prohibited retail sales on the Boardwalk.
Sonraj LLC is led by two people with local ties: Nisha Shah, a podiatrist at AtlantiCare, and Chintan Shah, a pharmacist-owner of the Trenton Pharmacy, a local Atlantic City pharmacy, according to documents filed with the company’s application.
The owners state that the site has been long vacant, known to be used for sex work, and the site of illegal drug sales.
Lance Landgraf, the planning officer for the CRDA, said the company will operate a 2,500-square-foot retail shop out of the building, which includes a former Papa John’s Pizza shop.
Landgraf said that the application was the first such application but that the agency expected to see many more.