DISPENSING
While federal legislation slowly crawls towards legalization of recreational marijuana use, the social spaces of smoking remain largely unexplored within the United States. This specific site straddles residential and commercial areas, numerous bus stops, and a high school nearby. Designing with respect and subtlety in mind, the Cafe houses both a coffee shop and the dispensary. A nondescript entrance tucked away towards the back is where workers will screen individuals to ensure they are of-age, before letting them into the dispensary, invisible completely from the outside. A small street-facing courtyard allows patrons to enjoy a drink or a smoke with the company of an Eastern Redbud tree.
The cafe also serves as a storefront for the life-style brand that provides sustainably-sourced clothing, as well as works the farm that yields herbs for the coffee shop and dispensary alike. This project included a site and zoning assessment to ensure code-compliancy which included floor area ratios, setback allowances, an urban analysis to find no k-12 schools within 300’, no, athletic fields, playgrounds, or youth recreation facilities within 300’, nor another cannabis retail store within 1800’ of the proposed establishment.
