HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy in Harmony, NJ

Pennrose and its project partners celebrated the grand opening of Village at Harmony Garden in Glassboro.

The $20 million redevelopment will transform the 10-acre former Ellis Manor public housing complex at the corner of Lincoln Boulevard and Higgins Drive.

The brand-new community adds 64 high-quality, 100% affordable apartments and supportive services for seniors age 55-plus and individuals with disabilities, and one resident superintendent unit.

Village at Harmony Garden includes a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments in one-story, cottage-style buildings. All 65 units are fully adaptable, with 14 apartments accessible to residents with physical disabilities and eight units accessible to residents with hearing and vision disabilities.

Additionally, 13 apartments were set aside for non-age restricted individuals with developmental disabilities and four will be set aside for individuals over 55 with developmental disabilities. The project is 100% affordable, with all apartments available at or below 50% Area Median Income of Gloucester County, $39,100 for a single-person household.

The senior housing community was designed to improve comfort, accessibility, independence and quality of life for residents. The apartments feature open floorplans with spacious closets; modern kitchen with dishwasher and electric range; in-unit washer and dryer; individually controlled heating and cooling; and more. Residents also have access to a 2,908-square-foot community building with a community room, fitness room and supportive services center. Outside of the community building is a garden for residents to grow their own vegetables, as well as a gazebo and on-site parking. The community is Energy Star Certified.

“The Housing Authority and borough of Glassboro have worked tirelessly to redevelop the former Ellis Manor public housing complex and transform an integral, yet blighted, section of the community into high-quality, affordable housing,” Jacob Fisher, regional vice president at Pennrose said. “Village at Harmony Garden will serve as a catalyst for continued revitalization, while also providing seniors and individuals with disabilities with housing and tailored supportive services to live in place comfortably and successfully.”

“The entire project underscores the potential that exists with underutilized properties and how they can be repurposed to benefit residents in our communities,” Glassboro Mayor John Wallace III said. “Housing is a human right, and we will continue supporting transformative projects like the Village at Harmony Garden to tackle the housing crisis and make Glassboro a more affordable place for all.”

All apartments at Village at Harmony Garden will have rent supported by GHA project-based vouchers. Pennrose also partnered with PennReach to provide robust on-site supportive services for individuals with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities. With 17 of the units being referred by PennReach, these rental vouchers will ensure they are able to live safely and independently in a community with their peers.

Financing partners include the New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency, Bank of America, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Gloucester County, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and the borough of Glassboro.

The price of legal weed at New Jersey dispensaries is still high, but you now buy an eighth-ounce of cannabis for as little as $20 in some parts of the state.

The Asbury Park Press analyzed the medical marijuana and adult use cannabis menus at all 76 dispensaries in New Jersey on Nov. 14 to pinpoint the cheapest eighth-ounce of weed in the state, which averages at $46.17 for recreational customers and $42.34 for medical marijuana patients. Prices in the cannabis market can fluctuate from store-to-store and from day-to-day.

The cheapest New Jersey legal weed for adult use customers can be found at Brute's Roots, an independent dispensary and cultivator in Egg Harbor Township. Brute's Roots was selling an eighth-ounce of small buds of its Goodfather strain for just $23, $13 cheaper than the next best option — all the way up in Bergen County, at Ascend's Fort Lee dispensary ($36 for an eighth-ounce of Find's Tarts #9 popcorn buds).

If you have a medical marijuana card, the cheapest legal weed is at Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus where patients can purchase an eighth-ounce of numerous strains from Harmony's in-house brand for just $20. Harmony, which initially opened as a nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary in 2018, is closing at the end of the month after its lease expires.

More:Inside the 'tug of war' over NJ legal weed sales

Harmony, which lost its license to grow adult use cannabis over the summer, is expected to be purchased by Illicit Gardens, a Missouri-based cannabis company, according to the Jersey Journal.

In Hoboken, patients can purchase an eighth-ounce of multiple $55 strains at The Station, the most expensive cheapest option of all New Jersey dispensaries. The Station is the first New Jersey location for Terrapin Care Station, which also operates six other dispensaries in Colorado and cultivates medical marijuana in Pennsylvania

The pricing data reveals an interesting, if not particularly surprising, trend: The more dispensaries, the cheaper the weed.

A thick cluster of dispensaries in North Jersey — there are 15 recreational dispensaries in Bergen, Hudson and parts of Essex and Passaic counties in the northeastern corner of the state — has a slightly lower-than-average price, $45.07 on average for the cheapest eighth-ounce of recreational cannabis ($41.36 for medicinal marijuana, which is available at 11 dispensaries in the area).

In a similar cluster of eight dispensaries in Somerset and Middlesex counties, the average price of the cheapest eighth-ounce on the menu is $46.25, just about the state's average cheapest eighth-ounce ($44.75 for medical marijuana patients at four dispensaries).

But in Atlantic and Cape May counties, the cheapest recreational eighth-ounce costs about $48 when accounting for the notable price drop at Brute's Roots, which is $19 cheaper than the next-closest location (MPX in Atlantic City). And in the northwestern part of the state — there are five dispensaries in Warren, Morris and parts of western Passaic counties — the cheapest eighth-ounce costs recreational customers $50.07 on average.

The average overall price of New Jersey cannabis has been gradually falling, from about $16.27 per gram (an eighth-ounce is 3.5 grams) in May 2022 to $13.06 per gram in July 2023, according to data from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. More recent pricing data was not available from the commission.

More:NJ dispensaries are selling a ton of legal weed. Here's how much the state is cashing in.

But New Jersey still has the most expensive legal weed on the east coast. The average price of Massachusetts cannabis was $5.55 per gram on Oct. 31. And when Maryland began legal weed sales in July, cannabis was selling at $9.27 per gram.

Mike Davis has spent the last decade covering New Jersey local news, marijuana legalization, transportation and a little bit of everything else. He's won a few awards that make his parents very proud. Contact him at [email protected] or @byMikeDavis on Twitter.

Even though cannabis has been legalized in New Jersey since 2020, the retail market has been a few steps behind. In Hudson County, both medicinal and recreational use sales have begun. In Hoboken and Jersey City, a handful of medical-use dispensaries have opened, and we’re just a few days away from the first recreational sales happening in Jersey City. It’s been a long road for the businesses involved, and there are still many others waiting to open. Read on to learn more about the latest updates on dispensaries in Hoboken and Jersey City, New Jersey.

Hoboken

Harmony was an early entrant into the Hoboken cannabis dispensary races. With another location in Secaucus, it was a natural fit in Hoboken. However, problems within the company have proved to be a significant stumbling block to the store’s opening at its location at 95 Hudson Street.

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An August 2023 court hearing revealed that the company’s finances were in disarray. A court-appointed custodian’s study of the company’s finances revealed that CEO Shaya Brodchandel had lost millions of dollars belonging to the company through financial mismanagement. He has since been removed as CEO. The company is in the process of being sold and will leave its Secaucus location in November due to unpaid rent, according to NJ.com.

Read More: Signage Up at Blue Violets: What We Know

In August, Hoboken Zoning Officer Ann Holtzman sent a letter to the Cannabis Review Board suspending Harmony’s application due to inactivity, per the Hudson County View. In June 2023, the NJCRC withdrew its approval of three of Harmony’s previously approved four licenses for nonpayment.

At a recent CRB hearing, representatives from Harmony explained that they were still interested in opening in Hoboken but had been sidetracked by the company’s legal challenges. The company is in the process of being acquired by Illicit Garden, a Missouri-based multistate operator. Illicit Garden is already approved by the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) for a cultivator license.

It’s possible that Harmony could try to transfer its Secaucus operations to the Hoboken space, but it’s unclear whether the state and local cannabis regulations would permit that. The sale to Illicit Garden is anticipated to be completed later this fall.

At the Hoboken Cannabis Review Board’s September 21st meeting, the board voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council vacate its previous approval of Harmony. Harmony would be able to reapply.

Culture Hoboken LLC sued the Hoboken Cannabis Review Board (CRB) in August 2022 alleging that in denying Culture its license, the CRB “failed to provide adequate justification for denial of support or endorsement in the resolution as it failed to justify why plaintiff will not have a positive impact on the city’s community.”

As part of a September 2023 settlement of the case, the Hoboken City Council approved a proposal that would allow Culture another hearing in front of the CRB, according to the Hudson County View.

A particular challenge in this circumstance is that the City of Hoboken changed its cannabis regulations in April 2022. The settlement offer with Culture would see the hearing happen under the ‘old’ rules, before the April 2022 update.

Culture Hoboken had originally applied with the address of 321 Washington Street, but will have a new address at the new hearing. The Council approved the settlement with a vote of 5-4, permitting a new CRB hearing under the ‘old’ rules and allowing a new address to be used for the business. As of this writing, the new hearing has not been scheduled.

A settlement has been reached in two lawsuits involving Story Dispensary. The dispensary has plans to operate on the ground floor of a condo building in Uptown Hoboken and has faced lawsuits from neighbors in the condo building. In a statement to NJ.com, Story Dispensary’s attorney Lee Vartan said, ““The settlement will allow Story Hoboken to open its door and begin to serve the Hoboken community in the coming months.” One lawsuit was filed by the condo association alleging that the owners of the space had misled the neighbors about their plans for the space, which used to be bar. The second lawsuit filed by the condo association was against Story Dispensary and the City of Hoboken, alleging that the City had failed to follow its own guidelines in approving the dispensary’s application.

Jersey City

RIPT Dispensary, located at 200 Broadway, will be the first dispensary in Jersey City to launch recreational sales on September 29th at 10AM. RIPT will be the third recreational use dispensary in Hudson County, joining Harmony in Secaucus and Cookies in Harrison.

See More: Maplewood Village’s First Woman-Owned Cannabis Shop is Now Open

In an interview with NJ.com, RIPT co-founder Jonathan Bednarsh said that the team had been preparing for weeks to make the shift to include recreational use sales alongside the existing medical use sales.

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Another Jersey City dispensary, Downtown FLWR, plans to add recreational sales on October 6th, according to a social media post from the company. The store is located at 141 Newark Avenue.

HARMONY TWP., N.J. - Flash flooding, after unprecedented rain in western New Jersey over the weekend, is continuing to cause havoc.

"How would you describe the state of it right now?" I asked Dennis Smith on the condition of his farm.

"A disaster," Smith said.

It was an unharmonious scene at Smith's Harmony Township family farm.

His fields flooded, a shed was shaken off its foundation and moved, and his basement is drying out after being under six feet of water twice in two days.

"It's a blow, especially after being hit eight years ago with a twister," he said.

Detours are in place across Warren County as crumbled roads and destroyed backyards from flash flooding wreaked havoc.

"I once had the best grass in the neighborhood, it was almost like golf turf," said Keith Rainey.

Now, Rainey's Belvidere lawn resembles a beach after the Popadaisy creek popped, filling the home he's been renovating for seven years with five and a half feet of water.

"This is the worst in 100 years. My friend's family whose basement was blown out has been here for 100 years. Next door has been here for 48 years, never seen anything like it," he said.

An example of how powerful the water was: a stingray corvette was inside a shed just off Mansfield Road in Belvidere; both got moved to the end of the street. The good news is the owners say they got the car back and it is drivable.

Generators run, and work crews repair property where owners weren't as lucky.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy toured the county, coming face to face with the hardest hit areas, like a landslide off Route 46 in White Township.

"You are already up to your eyeballs in saturation and the last thing you need is more rain, but it's possible, sadly it's coming," Murphy said.

Which is why Smith made a dam out of tree trunks, a home spun project in front of his basement to prevent a third flooding.

"You hope that''ll hold?" I asked.

"It will hold, it will hold," he said.

Murphy is also stressing for anyone affected to keep track of all money spent in mitigating the damage, as he is working with local governments in the next steps of aid.

KNOWLTON TWP., N.J. - Two people were taken to the hospital following reports of an active shooter in northern Warren County, New Jersey.

Authorities say a domestic incident triggered a shelter-in-place order Monday evening on Columbia Street in Knowlton Township, directly across the Delaware River from Portland, Northampton County.

On social media, the mayor of Portland said that to her knowledge, the shooter was taken into custody around 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Authorities have not confirmed whether that was the case.

Around 9 p.m., the Warren County prosecutor confirmed the shelter-in-place order was lifted and that there was no longer a threat to the public.

A four-year old dispensary in Secaucus is poised to become the first non-profit medical marijuana dispensary to offer adult weed in the Garden State.

Harmony Foundation is expected to go before the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission Thursday for final state approvals to expand into the adult recreational weed market at its Secaucus alternative treatment center at 600 Meadowlands Parkway, a top Harmony executive confirmed to NJ Advance Media.

“This is an exciting step forward for Harmony, and, we believe, for the growing cannabis industry in New Jersey,” Shaya Brodchandel, President and CEO of Harmony, said in a statement. “By seeking to become the first New Jersey-based ATC to be granted an expansion into the adult-use market we are showing that cannabis businesses born in this state have the ability to join those multi-state operators and thrive, reinvesting our successes into our local communities.

“We believe that we have met all of the obligations put in place by regulators, and are ready to join the dual market,” added Brodchandel.

Harmony is one of the original six alternative treatment centers (ATCs) approved in the state. It began operating in June 2018 under the state’s Medicinal Cannabis Program as both a cultivation and dispensary facility.

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Since the statewide launch of recreational adult weed on April 21, eight multi-state operators, or MSOs, have come to dominate the New Jersey cannabis market by opening and owning all 19 stores that currently sell it. Ascend Wellness - which was granted CRC approvals on Sept. 9 to expand is currently working on securing final municipal approvals to sell adult weed in Fort Lee, where it has sold medical marijuana since Aug. 12.

If the CRC approves on Thursday, Harmony would become the first non-multi-state operator allowed to expand into the dual medical and recreational market.

Brodchandel said once it receives the nod from the state, Harmony will continue to grant priority to medical patients and their registered caregivers as mandated by the CRC by offering exclusive hours, designated service areas, discount eligibility, delivery services and curbside pickup.

“We have a proven track record of serving the medical cannabis community for many years, and we will not turn our back on those that use our products for health purposes,” Brodchandel said.

In addition, winning state approval paves the way for the company’s growth. Brochandel said Harmony has plans to open two Hudson County satellite dispensaries that would offer both medical and recreational marijuana in Hoboken and Jersey City.

Brodchandel said the additional sites will create more jobs and social equity opportunities for minority and women aspirants who want to join the cannabis industry in keeping with the intent of legalization.

A key component of the 2021 cannabis law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy is restorative justice for communities of color hurt most by the nation’s War on Drugs by earmarking a portion of revenue from adult weed sales to go toward social equity programs to benefit them.

“Through our social equity plan, creating real jobs for New Jersey residents or reinvesting our profits back into the community, Harmony has shown a commitment to the state and people of New Jersey,” Brodchandel added. “We look forward to expanding our presence at job fairs, and providing additional expungement clinics, reentry support, and mentorship opportunities.”

Brodchandel said his commitment extends beyond growing Harmony Dispensary and wants to benefit the entire cannabis industry in New Jersey – which is poised to become one of the nation’s largest based on revenue.

“As Harmony continues to grow, and achieve even greater business success, our core mission will match the intentions of Governor Murphy for the industry and be a force for lifting up others that have previously not been afforded opportunities for entrepreneurial success,” Brodchandel said Wednesday.

The CRC meeting will be the first in-person gathering by the five-member panel since it was created due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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