Board gives go-ahead to Planet Nugg dispensary site plan

The site plan for Planet Nugg has been approved by the planning board for Riverhead Town as part of the application process for their new dispensary at 720 Main Road in Aquebogue. This news comes days after the Town board voted to open a public hearing on a possible one-year moratorium on new dispensaries.

“Riverhead was very, very clear, so when we first went in search of a property, we made sure we were definitely within the town’s limits,” said Dave Tubens, one of the owners of Planet Nugg. “They had a great interactive map, which really helped us out a lot, and anybody else would potentially want us to open there.”

“Yeah, the creation of the corridors definitely helped us find the spot,” said Walter Bonilla, co-owner at Planet Nugg.

The new dispensary will involve a total renovation of the building and landscaping to bring it in line with the style of surrounding properties.

“The North Fork is gorgeous,” Mr. Tubens said. “It’s filled with vineyards — very winery out there — so we’re looking to build something that’s going to fit in. We want to be a good neighbor to everybody out there. We’re building what we consider to be a vineyard-style dispensary.”

There will also be a focus on educating customers and helping people make the best choices to reach the outcomes they are seeking. They have held events for veterans with PTSD and a NARCAN training with the Suffolk County Sheriffs department at their Farmingdale location.

“I’m a chiropractor by trade, and I’ve built my practices based on patient education. We truly believe an educated customer is by far our best customer. So we’ve done a lot of work in educating the public about what we have here,” said Mr. Tubens.