A cannabis dispensary previously proposed for Highland Square may be headed to the 1.7 acre site of a vacant CVS building in Akron’s Merriman Valley, despite vocal opposition from members of a nearby homeowners’ association during an Akron Planning Commission meeting Friday morning.
The residents, who live in a condominium development immediately south of the empty drug store, are worried about their property values and the potential for increased traffic, among other beliefs they hold about the implications of dispensaries.
Three out of the five members of the Planning Commission backed the City of Akron Department of Planning and Urban Development’s recommendation to allow a company called OPC Cultivation, which does business as Firelands Scientific, to renovate the 28-year-old building and open shop…