Boston City TV, MA City of Boston Cannabis Board, 16 Aug 2023

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From YouTube: Boston Cannabis Board - Voting Hearing 8/16/2023

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Boston Cannabis Board - Voting Hearing 8/16/2023

A

A

We're just gonna give it a moment and let the waiting room clear, please make sure you're muted, as you are into there.

A

All right good afternoon, this is a heron before the Boston cannabis board. The BCB today is August 16 2023.. Today's pairing is being conducted pursuant to Temporary amendments to the open meeting law. That is what allows us to meet. Virtually this hearing is being recorded and will be posted to the city of Boston's website before I review. Some procedural matters I will introduce Cheryl and Catherine Joyce.

B

Good afternoon, thank you Jasmine. My name is Kathleen Joyce I am chair of the Boston cannabis board today and please be joined by commissioner Lisa Holmes, commissioner John Smith and commissioner Gabriel Camacho.

A

Thank you, chairman Joyce, and my name is Jasmine Nguyen I am the Boston cannabis board manager. We also joined by Allison Quinn, who is the project manager for the BCB? While the public is encouraged to attend State's hearing there will be no additional public testimony accepted I will read each item into the record, followed by comments from the board. Members. I will then ask if there is a motion, any questions of the motion, and then there will be a vote. Each board.

A

Member has the ability to grant grant with conditions defer, reject without prejudice, which means the applicant can return anytime with an application at the same location or reject with prejudice, which means the applicant cannot reapply at the same location for one gear. We will begin with amendments to already approved licenses. The first applicant is new dfny LLC DBA media.

A

The license premise is 48-62 Brookline Avenue, Fenway Kenmore, the license type is a retail recreational cannabis dispensary license and the license request was to amend the operating the operating hours from 10 a.m, to 9 pm seven days a week to 10 a.m. To midnight 7 days a week. We'll begin with comments from the board members, starting with chilling Joyce.

B

Thank you Jasmine. um My comments are that I asked staff to take a look at what the closing hours were and other downtown locations they do very slightly, but the latest we've gone downtown is 11 and the neighborhoods I think we went recently to 10. So those are my comments.

A

Commissioner, Camacho.

C

um Considering uh the traffic um that happens there around 10, 11 and 12., it does make business sense. However, I'm a little resident to go to the Midnight Hour um and I'd like to hear what the other Commissioners say.

A

Commission Smith.

D

Thanks uh Jasmine yeah same you know, I looked I was thinking as we were talking with them in the first here, and it is a very busy area.

D

um There's lots of clubs and music and people hanging out so I'm partial to them being open till midnight just because it's the nature of that area and how packed it is with folks around my time.

A

For Michelle house.

E

Yeah I'm a little hesitant about the midnight, although I allowed. Although I am aware that the state allows uh till midnight I would, like um commissioner Camacho said: I'd be worried about the noise and the traffic I would suggest if he wanted to stay open a little later, maybe 11 30, with the understanding that everyone would have to be out of there by midnight, but definitely not extending it till midnight. Maybe 11 30.

B

So this would this would be if, if we did go to 11 30 everyone out by 12, this would be the first licensee that we've allowed to do so. Jasmine I just wanted to ask you: how long have they been open? They.

A

Opened the last month so a.

E

Month, yeah, no, oh.

B

But I'm going to suggest that we extend it until what else? What's the latest downtown so far, 11 11.

B

I would say last sale by 11 all patrons off by 11 30 and let them come back and I'd say a few months or six months to to report back to us and and describe their need to stay open any later.

B

um But they've only been open for a month, I'd like to see how operations go.

C

I I think that makes sense and remember: I I brought up the issue of uh their capacity and their average transaction is between 15 and 20 minutes. So that's if they have full capacity. That's a lot of people to get out within a half hour.

B

Yeah I, agree um and I think we can learn, learn from them. If they could. You know I think we need more than a month to see how operations go here and then I'm not against a later hour, but at this point I'd like to see them move slowly with the later hour, um so my motion would be to amend the operating hours from many operating hours to 10 a.m, to 11 p.m. All patrons off at 11, 30.

C

A

C

A

None of those, so the approval is to 11 p.m: Patients Out by 11 30.. Yes,.

A

All right, the next item we have the applicant is suave estate. Llc DBA greenberry license firm, is 879 blue Hall, Avenue Dorchester, the license type is a retail recreational cannabis dispensary license and the license request is for a change of DBA from greenberry to baked cannabis, dispensary and, secondly, has petition for a change of ownership interest.

A

Do you have any comments.

B

uh No comments, commissioner Camacho.

A

C

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Commission Smith.

D

Thanks Jasmine, no no comment, commissioner,.

A

E

A

And channel rejoices the emotion.

B

I make a motion to approve the changes, as requested.

A

For a second all in favor aye, so the request is granted for a DBA change and a change of ownership interest. All right. Now we will move to our new license application. The applicant is Suite 420 Wellness LLC. The proposed license premise is 12.95 to 1297 River Street Hyde Park. The license type is for our retail recreational cannabis, dispensary, a delivery operator and product manufacturing license. The pros hours of operation are 10 a.m, to 10 pm 7 days a week, and this is an equity applicant.

A

We will start with comments from the board members chairwoman, Joyce.

B

Thank you, Jasmine I'd, like to thank the applicant I, think Ms Israel did a great job during her presentation. She hit upon all the categories with which we analyze these applications. I think um we have here. We have a woman-owned equity applicant in one of the neighborhoods of Boston. There is parking. There is public transportation. There is a buffer zone and I think Ms Israel did a good job of explaining how her proposal her license place would differ from the other location which is within a half a mile.

B

She described it as the businesses were different and complementary um parts. Parts of her of her proposal, I thought were aspirational to borrow the words of our former commissioner um Lambos, um but I think um with time. Some of those things could be strengthened as she works her way through the process.

B

C

I I was impressed by their starting wage, um so um they're good with me.

A

Commission Smith.

D

Thanks um so I'm pretty much echoing the same statements, I I was a little bit. I thought the employment plan was a little general innocent um but yeah when we talked more about the starting wages and some of the you know more aspirational ideas that got flushed out a little bit. So you know sign proposal overall. Thank you.

A

E

um Nothing to add um it was a great pres, great proposal, I like the fact that she actually talked about incorporating the other business into hers. You know you utilizing them and using them, so I thought that was really good, knowing that they're right in the area, um so no I I thought it was a good could have been. Like uh commissioner Smith said, a couple of things could have had a little more um detail too. Maybe a little more detail to the security and the employment plan.

E

But overall I thought it was a pretty good presentation.

A

A chairman rejoices their emotion.

B

Thanks Jasmine I make a motion to Grant um this license conditional upon the buffer zone conflict being resolved.

E

B

There a second.

E

A

Second, all in favor aye and none opposed, so the position is granted pending uh variance from the zoning board. Next, we just have um two one-day amendments to already approved licenses.

A

um Happy Valley at 220, McCullen, Highway, East Boston, has applied for um one day, extension for August 24th and August 29th to open at 8 00 a.m, as opposed to their 10 am um opening times any questions.

A

B

I make a motion to approve.

A

Is there a second I'll, second, all in favor all right and none of those, so the position is granted, so those are all the management for the board today. Our next transactional here will take place on September 13th at 1pm hope everyone enjoys the rest of the day. Thank you. Thank you.