EAST PROVIDENCE — To the consternation of the dozens of neighbors and concerned residents in the area, the Zoning Board opted not to take up the matter of the proposed marijuana dispensary in the Rumford section of the city at its latest forum, instead deciding to hold a separate special session with it being the only topic on that meeting’s agenda.

The board made the decision during its regularly scheduled gathering on Wednesday night, Aug. 4, which itself had quite the heavy docket, including the case pertaining to the dispensary being proposed for 15 Circle St. at the location of the East Providence Credit Union branch behind the current Walgreen’s Pharmacy on Newport Avenue.

Calling the issue “very involved,” Zoning Board chairman Gene Saveory put the addendum on the floor for consideration at the start of the August 4 session. He explained after consultation with Zoning Officer Edward Pimentel he desired to take the matter off that night’s agenda and provide it with a stand-alone date.

Following some 20 minutes of deliberations, the rest of the board concurred. The special session is now set for Thursday night, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Chamber. The meeting is the first the board will hold as in-person only since the governor opted not to extend an executive order allowing for virtual sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no further advertising or notifications and no direct remote access will be provided.

Last week, Mr. Saveory said, “This meeting tonight has an 11 o’clock curfew on it. There are several other cases behind it…I had expressed my concerns to the zoning officer, as he did to me, that I don’t like in cases like this…I have a petition that’s taken up a folder…I want to make sure this board has the opportunity to query the petitioner in a stable, proper, timely manner. I also want the opportunity for the petitioner to present their case and under those same terms.”

Of his discussion with Mr. Pimentel, he continued, “What we discussed basically was taking this Circle Street issue and moving it by itself, nothing else. That way we’ve got the opportunity to have both sides present their arguments and also it allows the opportunity, hopefully, that we can give everybody the proper allowed time to speak.”

The chairman’s remarks were met with dismay by those in attendance, who have waited months to see the matter come to a resolution.

Circle Holdings, LLC had initially approached the board earlier this calendar year with its requests seeking permission to introduce a Medical Marijuana Compassion Center without submission of a Class I Surveyed site plan and with a variance for what is deemed as a prohibited land use at 15 Circle St.

The company, however, asked for a continuance on the matter in the spring pending legislation passed by the General Assembly during the 2021 session and other associated issues. The item was also supposed to be up for discussion at the Zoning Board’s July meeting, but the members could not find a quorum and that gathering was cancelled.

“Now you’re shaking your heads out there,” Mr. Saveory said, in response to members of the audience last week expressing their displeasure with yet another perceived delay. “If you want to give this thing the bum’s rush, go for it. I’ll say it plain and simple ladies and gentlemen, this is a very big issue. The impact is tremendous. We have to be careful also of setting precedents and forming arguments in the future for other issues.

He continued, “I’m trying to make it as fair as possible for everybody concerned. We’re just trying to keep an even playing field is what I’m trying to do. As I said to one gentleman earlier, “You live with it. I live in Riverside. I only have to deal with it when I got to Entermann’s (bakery outlet on Newport Avenue).”…It’s a big concern to me and these people up here…It’s a very controversial issue and it needs to be done right.

Mr. Pimentel said the vastness of last week’s agenda made it unlikely the Circle Street matter would be completed under the time constraints and that it would be “insulting” for residents to not have their voices fully heard if proceedings were halted due to the curfew.

He noted as well, “The attorney for this petitioner has several experts, so if we open up this hearing he’s got the right to put up every one of them.”

Board member John Braga was the first to signal his support for separating the proceedings. He was later followed by Matthew Robinson and eventually Michael Beauparlant, in whose Ward 1 district the Circle Street is located, and Richard Croke.

Said Mr. Braga, “I think it’s doing (the residents) a disservice to start the hearing, then not finish it and they’d have to come back anyway. I think with this many people and this much interest, a special meeting is warranted.”

After the meeting, Mr. Saveory reiterated his belief the special session was the best way forward. He again called it the “fairest” way for the matter to be resolved. He stressed it will afford both the petitioner and the neighbors the chance to have their voices heard without interruption.

“I’d rather sacrifice another night, then to just rush through it. This issue is too important,” Mr. Saveory added. “I don’t want myself or the other members of the board to feel as though they’re under any time constraints, any undo pressure because they’re watching the clock because that’s when you make mistakes. The special meeting puts this issue in its proper place. Now we have the opportunity to get at least 90, hopefully 100 percent of the information out there instead of 60. Whatever decision we reach it will be the fairest decision to both sides because all of the information will have come out.”