The former Busy Bee Food Exchange might be getting new life as a cannabis-retail store.

A Cannabis Review Committee meeting notice posted by Brooklyn Community Board 1 lists an applicant for the space at 2 Jewel Street, which shares an address with Busy Bee’s former home at 185 Nassau Avenue. 

Greenpoint currently does not have a licensed dispensary, with the closest option located in Williamsburg. Several local license applications are pending approval, according to the state’s Office of Cannabis Management. Last year, a vendor applied to open a cannabis shop in the historic Greenpoint Savings Bank, sparking concern from community members. OCM ultimately approved the vendor’s license, though there have not been any updates on the vendor’s next steps.

Gregory Van Roten, born and raised in Brooklyn, plans to open Chrome Flwrs in the former Busy Bee location. He obtained a retail license in Long Island a couple of years ago, as part of the state’s initiative to award contracts to vendors who served time for cannabis-related offenses. Van Roten was released from prison in 2018.

“The team behind Chrome Flwrs and I could not be more excited to work with the Greenpoint and North Brooklyn community to open the neighborhood’s first legal, licensed cannabis dispensary. We aim to open this spring, as early as April,” he shared. 

Van Roten hoped to work with neighbors to assuage fears about the kind of business he plans to run, telling Greenpointers that he wanted an understated environment, not a loud party kind of spot. 

“I’m born in Brooklyn. This is where my family and friends are from where we call home, And I’m going to do right by my home,” he said. “That’s why we’re focused on selling the best, tested and safer, cannabis products to the adults who have been waiting for decades for an opportunity like this. For us it’s not just a business, but a chance to make something special that brings joy to our entire neighborhood once we open in a few weeks.”

To hear more about the application, plan to attend CB1’s Cannabis Review Committee meeting tomorrow, March 6, at 6 pm (Swinging Sixties Senior Center, 211 Ainslie St.)