Girdwood pot shop, Bird Creek grow op seek Anchorage license renewals

One operator controls both a Girdwood marijuana retail store and a limited cultivation facility in Bird Creek. Both licenses are now up for renewal, and the Municipality of Anchorage has a formal window to file a protest.

Brent Carse is the designated licensee for The Herbal Cache LLC, retail marijuana store license #19277, at 158 Holmgren Place, Suite 101, in Girdwood, and Alaska Rustic LLC, limited marijuana cultivation facility license #10239, at 184 Ray Halla Lane in Bird Creek. The Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office deemed both renewal applications complete May 6.

The municipality has 60 days from that notice to file a formal protest, putting the deadline around July 5. Under a delegation the Marijuana Control Board granted to the AMCO director in May 2017, uncontested renewals can pass administratively without a full board hearing. A timely protest breaks that path and forces board review. The board will also consider an application independently if any notices of violation have been issued for the license.

To protest, a local government must furnish the AMCO director and the applicant with a clear and concise written statement of reasons within 60 days and provide AMCO proof of service on the applicant. The renewal notice, signed by AMCO Director Kevin Richard, states that "the board will uphold a local government protest and deny an application for a marijuana establishment license unless the board finds that a protest by a local government is arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable."

The notice also allows for a conditional protest, under which the board may approve a renewal but require the applicant to show the board that local-government conditions have been met before the license is issued. If a timely protest or objection is filed, a temporary license will be issued while the board considers the application.

The notices were dated May 6, 2026. The 30-day public objection window under 3 AAC 306.065 ran approximately to June 5. The Turnagain Arm Community Council and the Girdwood community council were named as recipients of the renewal notices for the Bird Creek and Girdwood locations, respectively.

Questions on either application can be directed to AMCO at [email protected].