The West River Road building that housed restaurants for the past dozen years is about to become a medical marijuana dispensary.
Earth's Healing, which operates a dispensary at 2075 E. Benson Highway, will open its second location at 78 W. River Road this spring once renovations to the space are completed, said Vicky Puchi-Saavedra, one of the owners of Earth's Healing parent EH2 Inc.
EH2 officials on Wednesday closed on the purchase of the River Road building, which had housed Stray Dogs restaurant for the past two years. Stray Dogs, known for its crazy milkshake concoctions, closed at the end of business Tuesday after owner Tom Firth and his partners were notified that the sale to EH2 was final.
Before Stray Dogs, the building had housed Firth's pizzeria Zona 78, which opened a second location on East Tanque Verde about 10 years ago. That restaurant is not affected by the sale, Firth said.
The city early this month notified Puchi-Saavedra that based on the information provided to city planning officials, the River Road building "is in general compliance" with city ordinances governing medical marijuana dispensaries," according to city documents. The OK was contingent on the owners meeting Arizona Department of Health Services requirements.
Puchi-Saavedra opened Earth's Healing in summer 2013. Her second location will be the Tucson area's ninth dispensary.
