A leading medical marijuana chain is interested in building a dispensary in the same Midtown location where a band of neighbors last month defeated plans for a parking garage.

MedMen Enterprises, dubbed the "Apple store of weed" by Pot Network, operates 19 licensed facilities in five states, including New York and California. Its 2018 acquisition of Treadwell Nursery in Eustis cleared a path for the publicly traded company to open 25 dispensaries in Florida, including "coming soon" sites in Key West, Miami, Orlando and West Palm Beach.

Tallahassee could be next.

Gardiner & Theobold, a property consultant and construction firm representing MedMen, contacted the city of Tallahassee last year and was informed the business would be allowed at the 1126 Thomasville Road location.

The parcel is owned by the EMO Family Trust. Tallahassee architect Warren Emo did not respond to inquires about the proposed project.

According to its correspondence with the city, the decade-old company wants to create "MedMen Tallahassee." Attempts to get more details about the project from the company's consultant were not answered.

The project is in the very early stages, according to records obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat.

"The application for the alteration permit is in the invoice status awaiting payment of the application and plan review fees. Once these fees have been paid, the application will be routed to staff for review," said Karen Jumonville, who heads the city's Growth Management Department.

If the project moves forward, Gardiner & Theobold indicated it would be complete by early 2022.

The new dispensary could be the third one in Midtown — a block away from Curaleaf Tallahassee, the city's largest dispensary, which opened in 2018 where Badass Fitness used to be on Thomasville Road. In 2017, KNOX Cannabis near Thomaville and Glenview Drive opened its doors.

Local green rush:

MedMen Tallahassee could be city's fifth dispensary if plans move forward.

"The City has chosen not to regulate medical marijuana facilities," wrote Cindy Smith, a senior planner within the city's Growth Management Department. "Facilities are allowed in zoning categories where retail pharmacies (drug stores) are allowed and must meet all applicable state regulations."

The roughly half-acre parcel was part of a proposal to build a 312-car garage with 50,000 square feet of commercial space for restaurants, shops and a high-end hotel on top of the five-story structure.

Back story:

The garage plans buckled under pressure from residents who voiced strong opposition to the plan. Several Midtown business owners, however, said creating parking for customers was critical to their survival.

Last month, city commissioners rejected all bids to build a parking garage in Midtown at this time, opting instead to create a master plan for the area that would address much-needed surface parking.

Rachelle McClure, a Lafayette Park resident for 10 years, said residents weren't arbitrarily against the project. Many wanted more data to justify the number of parking spaces proposed in the garage, which would have been a public-private partnership.

She's not opposed to MedMen redeveloping the building that currently houses Emo Architects.

"I think it’s way better than a five-story parking garage,” said McClure, an interior designer and strategist.

The medical marijuana industry has exploded in Florida. The state is the fourth largest market for medical cannabis in the nation, according to industry observers. MedMen employs more than 1,100 nationwide

"We do not run pot shops," MedMen's website said. "We manage class leading retail stores that happen to sell marijuana and marijuana products. MedMen operates several dispensaries in the most strategic markets in the country and we continue to grow rapidly."

Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.