Liberator Illinois is applying for a special-use permit to open a recreational marijuana dispensary, named The Bakeree, at 7045 North Avenue in Oak Park. This location was previously a discount furniture store and is situated near the village’s northwest corner. Since the legalization of cannabis in Illinois in 2019, the establishment of dispensaries has been subject to strict regulations, and obtaining a special-use permit has been a requirement for new dispensaries since February 2020.
The Bakeree would be the second recreational cannabis dispensary in Oak Park, joining Dutchess Cannabis Company on Lake Street, which recently took over after the closure of the MedMen dispensary. Liberator Illinois operates stores in Seattle and San Francisco and is working on additional locations in Chicago’s Logan Square and Edgewater neighborhoods.
The village’s Development Services staff expects the permit application to be reviewed by the Zoning Board of Appeals in either July or August 2025. However, there are currently no dispensary permit applications scheduled for review by the board.
If the Zoning Board approves the application, the Oak Park village board will have the final decision on the project. Liberator Illinois plans to invest in substantial renovations for both the interior and exterior of the North Avenue property.
Judith Alexander, founder of The North Avenue District community association, expressed concerns regarding the dispensary’s potential impact on traffic in the area. During a meeting with Liberator representatives, she shared her reservations about how the dispensary could exacerbate existing traffic issues, particularly given that the location has only four parking spaces at the back. She fears that customers might park on North Avenue and nearby side streets, worsening the congestion. Alexander noted, “This location only has four parking spaces in the back, so that means that customers are probably going to be parking on North Avenue and parking on side streets, and that makes the whole thing worse.”
Alexander also highlighted issues of driving under the influence on North Avenue, stating, “I completely believe that the people who would like to open this dispensary will do everything they can to keep people from driving under the influence of cannabis. I just don’t think anyone can control it.”
While Alexander is not opposed to the idea of a dispensary in general, she would reconsider her stance if street safety improvements, such as curb bump outs and median landscaping, were implemented on North Avenue. She remarked, “If we had our streetscape, my opinion would probably be different.”
As the application progresses, local residents and business groups will be watching closely to see how the village balances the potential economic benefits of a new dispensary against community safety and traffic management concerns.
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