Journal & Topics Media Group | Serving Chicago's Great Northwest Suburbs

By Craig Adams | on April 15, 2022

Rolling Meadows will soon host a craft cannabis growing facility after the business received approval at the city council meeting on Tuesday, April 12.

Aldermen voted 4-2 to allow the new business called 11th Level to occupy 1125 Carnegie St. for its craft growing cannabis operation. Alds. Karen McHale (1st), Jon Bisesi (5th), Mandy Reyez (6th), and Lara Sanoica (7th) supported the ordinance while Alds. Nick Budmats (2nd) and Kevin O’Brien (3rd) opposed it. Ald. Jenifer Vinezeano (4th) was absent.

Akele Parnell, the CEO of 11th Level Inc., addressed aldermen before the vote.

“We’ve been in the industry for several years,” he explained, adding that he has background as an attorney. He stated the business would be highly professional and would not add any retail traffic to the area as it will not sell to consumers. “We’re looking forward to being a great business neighbor,” Parnell said.

The two aldermen that opposed the measure explained their votes before casting them. “I’m personally in favor of it,” O’Brien said. However, he said so many residents of his ward have reached out to him. “They’re not interested in any type of cannabis business in the city.”

Budmats added, “I am opposed to it,” he stated. He further explained, “I respect the right of people to have a business in the city, and I recognize that growing marijuana is a business.” However, Budmats said he has grandchildren and doesn’t want them asking questions about the types of business allowed in the city. “I wish the business coming in was making some sort of durable product that we could buy at the Walmart,” he said.

The passed ordinance increases the number of cannabis business licenses from one to two, and approves a special use for the enterprise.

The 66,674 square foot building 11th Level will occupy is on about 2.4 acres of land. 11th Level will use about half of the building for a craft growing facility and reserve the other half for future expansion. The building currently has five overhead loading doors and 26 on-site parking spaces.

As part of the special use agreement, the city will reduce the number of required parking spaces from 107 to 25. The company will have no more than 20 employees at any given time, so the larger number of spaces was not needed.

In addition, the company will remove one overhead door that leads to a neighboring property. The city believes the two buildings were likely owned by the same person at one time.

Another problem with the property is that stormwater runoff flows from the west and then off the property to the south, clogging storm sewers and causing backups. 11th Level will add landscaping to improve the drainage in the area.

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