AURORA (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Some business owners have gone on the offensive in North Aurora where, they say, marijuana customers had started taking over their parking lots.
At issue is the relatively inadequate parking at a building housing the Verilife marijuana dispensary along Route 31 just north of I-88, the Jane Addams Tollway.
Tim Slamans of Lindoo Installations said his business is a few doors down from the pot store and is feeling the crunch. Slamans has cones in front of parking spaces and a sign attached to a fence saying, “No Pot Parking.”
Lawyer Jim Jensen says he showed up to meet with a new client last week and could not get into his own parking lot. His client got mad and went elsewhere, he said.
"He basically said, ‘The heck with it. I can’t get to your property’, and he left. That cost me $2,500,” Jensen said.
Jensen said he emailed Verilife and did not hear back from them.
Jensen said he and the others were basically told to “be patient.”
He says the village barreled ahead with plans for the pot store without thinking ahead: “They have dollar signs in their eyes because they anticipate getting hundreds of thousands of dollars of tax revenue.”
Lawyer Ruth Stelzman is not playing games. She has had at least three pot customers’ cars towed.
“January 1st was the worst. Now that I have a towing company working for me and I have ‘No Parking’ signs out there -- your car will be towed -- it’s gotten better,” she said.