Drive-Up Convenience: Work Starts for Binghamton Cannabis Shop

Equipment and furnishings have been removed from an old Binghamton A&W restaurant that's being converted into a marijuana retail store.

Workers have been filling large trash bins outside the former fast-food establishment at 439 Court Street on the East Side.

The A&W restaurant had been built on the site of a family-owned ice cream shop. Parisi's Twin Freeze had operated at the spot for decades before that. The A&W opened in April 2016 but closed less than two years later.

New York state cannabis control officials decided the site would be appropriate for a new weed shop. Although it's located in a district zoned for a cannabis retail business, some people who live nearby opposed the project.

Customers of the marijuana store will be able to use a drive-thru lane to obtain their purchases at a pick-up window on the back of the building.

Despite the objections of some city residents, the Binghamton planning commission  last month approved a special use permit to clear the way for the shop.

AOW Construction of Albany has been hired by the state to remodel the building for use by a cannabis retailer.

AOW project executive Al Burgazoli said workers recently removed items that remained in the closed restaurant building. He said construction work at the site will start soon.

Burgazoli said most of the project will involve remodeling to the interior of the former restaurant, although there will be a few exterior modifications. He expects there work will be completed within three months.

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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.