Binghamton Commission Has Concerns About East Side Business

Members of the Binghamton planning commission have delayed acting on an application to permit an existing business to continue operating.

Amber Johnson is seeking approval for a "general retail business" at 88 Robinson Street.

Sarah Campbell, an attorney representing Johnson, told the commission in August the application is for a business that sells "natural crystals and smoking accessories." She said the business occupies 385 square feet of space on the ground floor of the two-story building.

Campbell addressed concerns that had been raised by the city planning department staff regarding possible unlicensed cannabis sales occurring at the site. She acknowledged the state Office of Cannabis Management previously fined Johnson in a cannabis "gifting" case that occurred at another location in Binghamton. The attorney said Johnson was not criminally charged.

A business operates on the ground floor of this building at 88 Robinson Street. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Campbell acknowledged Johnson opened the business on Robinson Street without the permit that she now is seeking from the city.

The attorney said the area occupied by the business is too small for it to be used as "a gathering space."

Planning commission members expressed reluctance to approve a permit for the business.

After a lengthy debate about the application at this month's meeting, the matter was tabled.

During a visit to the business on a recent weekday afternoon, a reporter found the door to the business locked. The windows were covered to prevent indoor activity from being observed. There was no sign on building - simply a large depiction of a cannabis leaf.

A man emerged from the place as the reporter prepared to walk away. He said the place was a "pickup location" and said the reporter could not enter the business.

The man declined to answer questions but he did accept the reporter's contact information. The store owner could not be reached for comment about the business.

An Instagram account for "Green Magic Smoke Boutique" at 88 1/2 Robinson Street indicates it is a "social club" that is "fueled by crystals and cannabis."

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.