Planned Binghamton Weed Shop to Feature Drive-Thru Pickup Window

A former fast-food restaurant on Court Street in Binghamton may become a marijuana retail outlet where customers can pick up their purchase while remaining in their car.

The new cannabis shop is to be developed in the now-closed A&W restaurant building on the city's East Side.

The former A&W restaurant at 439 Court Street on October 16, 2023. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

A representative of AOW Construction said plans call for renovating about 2,500-square-feet of space at the site. He said some space will be left vacant for future expansion.

The A&W unit at 439 Court Street closed in February 2018, less than two years after it opened.

Old A&W restaurant signage remains inside the closed restaurant on Binghamton's East Side. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

AOW Construction is a contractor hired by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York to handle the design and renovation work of the site for a licensee who will operate the cannabis shop.

Plans call for the removal of all equipment inside the former restaurant to convert the place into a retail store.

FLASHBACK: Rooty the A&W mascot bear inside the Binghamton restaurant after the business closed in February 2018. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The AOW representative said the pickup window will remain in place so "your friends could order on the app and could just swing thru the drive-thru for pickup." He said that's allowed under state regulations "and because this location has it, they figured why not keep it?"

The city planning commission has scheduled a public hearing on a request for a special use permit for the store. The hearing is to be held on November 7.

The old drive-up window at 439 Court Street was smashed by vandals. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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