Boston City TV, MA City of Boston Cannabis Board, 22 Feb 2023

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From YouTube: Boston Cannabis Board - Voting Hearing - 2/22/2023

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Boston Cannabis Board - Voting Hearing 2/22/2023

A

B

My heart wish me luck.

C

No more just to make sure that we did as the answer from the waiter room. Thank you.

C

I'm, just gonna give it a second.

C

Well, it's a small house.

C

All right, let's get started good afternoon. This is a hearing before the Boston cannabis board. The BCB today is February 22nd 2023.. Today's hearing is being conducted pursuant to certain temporary amendments to the open media 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

Thank you Jasmine good afternoon, everyone. My name is Kathleen Joyce I'm, chair of the Boston cannabis board. Today, I am joined by commissioner Lisa Holmes, commissioner Darlene Lambos and commissioner John Smith before we begin. I just want to make an announcement that the licensing team in general last integral part of our team last Friday when our colleague and friend Peter Wong, died.

B

So I just want to remember Peter today, because I think all of us have worked with him in one capacity or another and um take a moment to remember him as we continue the the business of the city, um so Jasmine um I'll turn it back over to you. Peter would hate that, but I had to acknowledge Him right now. Thank.

C

You Cheryl and Joyce. My name is Jasmine Wang and I am the Cannabis board manager. We are also joined by Allison Quinn, who is the project manager for the BCB? While the public is encouraged to attend, there will be no additional public testimony accepted I will read each item into the record after I will ask for comments from each board. Member I will then ask. Is there a motion, any questions to the motion, and then there will be a vote.

C

Each member has the ability to grant grant with conditions defer Project without prejudice, which means the app thing 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 year. Our first item, the applicant is jtjd LLC Inver Gardens the pros license premises, 16 Chelsea, Street, East Boston. The license type is a marijuana delivery operator license. The proposed hours of operation are 7 A.M to 10 p.m.

C

7 days a week- and this is an equity applicant and there was above a sale conflict. We will start with comments from the board members to begin with. Chairman Joyce.

B

Thanks Jasmine um I have no issues with this application. I think it was a very strong application.

B

um I do feel as if they met the requirements to pierce the buffer zone, their Equity, its delivery, and we don't have anything exactly like this. In the general area.

C

Thank you, commissioner. Holmes.

D

I agree with the chairwoman um strong application: it is delivery, so it's a different business than the other dispensary within the buffer zone. So um I'm fine with it I think they did a good job.

C

Thank you, commissioner.

E

Thank you, Jasmine, no issues. Thank you.

C

A

Wobbles, thank you. Jasmine yep I agree with my fellow Commissioners thanks.

C

Chairman rejoices the emotion.

B

Yes, I make a motion to Grant this application.

C

Conditionally, oh.

B

Conditional upon um The.

C

Zone and variance yeah.

B

Zoning barriers I knew there was more to it. Thank you is.

C

There a second commissioner homes all in favor, um commissioner long Wilson, Smith I, can't see you so I'll. Just.

E

C

Thank you and none of us so granted conditionally, pending zoning relief from for the bucket.

C

The next item is the conflict connection DBA. The conflict connection proposed license premises, 551 Wilson, Street, Back Bay, the license type is a recreational cannabis dispensary license. The proposed hours of operation are 9 A.M to 11 pm seven days a week. This is a non-equity applicant and there is above his own conflict chairman.

B

Joyce thanks Jasmine I'll jump in um I have thought a lot about this application.

B

um We already have three dispensaries in Back Bay, the larger Back, Bay, Area and I. Just want to talk about this for a minute. Copley connection would make this. The fourth shot um by Copley connection actually only has two buffer zones and I say only because I think they are distinct.

B

um One of the um one of the dispensaries that we have in HCA with in the Back Bay neighborhood, however, has already been denied by the zba. So in this direct buffer zone, there are two locate, only two locations that are technically in the South End and these buffer zones span several neighborhoods.

B

um In my opinion, that is not in the spirit of what the buffer zone was put in place for it's clear to me when I go out in our city as I see businesses coming back that that day has come back and it's recovering fast and I believe back. They can support this application.

B

um I do want to acknowledge. We did receive opposition concerned about um some of the reasons that I've just spoken about. This is a very strong application. There's a lot of support and I think that support is enough to pierce the buffer zone.

B

um They've they've been they've gone above and beyond to work with the community. They've agreed to not have pre-rolls as a condition of the license. They agreed not to do delivery um and I'm persuaded by the rapid economic recovery in this neighborhood and um the significant residential and Commercial density. I think all of these things together can sustain this license.

C

Thank you, I'm commissions,.

D

I agree with everything the chairperson said my only um if you want to call it an issue was their end. Time is significantly later than everybody else and all the other dispensaries in the back way. Everybody else has at 8pm and they want 11. So I would only think it would be fair that they would have to back their closing time up to meet the same of the others, because it's kind of unfair that everybody else has a close at 11 at eight and they go at 11..

D

So we have to meet in the middle somewhere. Even if we negotiate down the nine for everybody, but I think the 11 p.m close and has to scale back but other than that I I think it was a great application.

C

E

Thanks Captain yeah, um very much echoing that, but thinking about the saturation issues on um which will probably come up again in probably every neighborhood, um considering these cannabis businesses and being co-located in all the different neighborhoods in the city um and how it especially impacts like the equity businesses.

E

um That being said, you know I think, of course the application is good, So yeah. Thank you.

C

Commission almost.

A

Yeah I thought it was a very strong application. I um I know we're not experts on saturation and we've talked about this before, but I do think it's. um It is a good application and I do agree with commissioner Holmes I'm guessing you know. I know I like to have make sure that we have unanimous decisions. So I am in agreement that um if there isn't a possibility or an interest in the commissioner to have a lower a shorter um open time, that's fine with me as well.

C

Same challenge no motion.

B

I agree and I appreciate um working towards consensus, um commissioner Holmes. As far as closing time, the other shops in that area I believe have 8 PM, closing correct.

D

A

C

D

C

Clarify for before you guys.

D

um Yeah well I have a note here that they all of a dispensaries where you have 8 P.M closing. So this should be the same. So I I must have looked it up somewhere, but right. We should look it up again, just to make sure but I think they should all be equal.

C

Okay, so the two within the buffer zone, which is Sierra Naturals, which is 827 829 Boylston Street, has a 8 PM closing and a 6 PM closing on Sunday, the other one is rooted in LLC, which is um 331 Newbury Street. They have a 10 a.m, to 10 p.m, closing and on Sunday, they close at 8., okay. So it's.

D

Well, okay, so it's all over the place anyway, all right, yeah, okay, so I guess the 11 is all right. Then, if we got a 10 p.m, 11 is fine. I just thought that between 8 and 11 is a big disparity in time, but yeah 10 and 11. No, it's okay, then.

B

B

So so I, um if you're, if you're comfortable with that commissioner Holmes okay, yes.

D

I am I, am a tent between 10 and yeah I'm. Fine with that.

B

One um so I make a motion to Grant this um application um conditional upon we're gonna do no pre-rolls as a condition of the license um on the face of the license and just for I. Don't think we need to put no delivery on the face of the license, because if they do choose to do delivery, they do have to come back to us so conditional upon um zoning relief granted conditional funds, only relief.

C

And no pre-rolls and.

B

C

Is there a second.

E

I second, thank.

C

You all in favor.

E

C

I write another opposed so granted conditionally um pending buffer zone variants from the CBA and no pre-rolls, and the 11 pm closing is.

A

um Right, we just won Wendy's.

C

All right: next, we will move to old and new business. um Allison is going to give an update on our Market saturation project that we have been working on.

F

Hi good afternoon, so you should have received in your packets for today's hearing the full memo but I'm going to give you just a brief synopsis of where we are in process. So back in I think it was November. uh You guys started this conversation about. You know what is market saturation and what is its impact on the local Boston cannabis industry. uh That has been um that that resulted in us putting out a request for for proposals.

F

uh We originally had four applicants that were interested and then, when the wqc closed, we had zero respondents, so we had to go back to the drawing board and we have one person under contract now and that person is checked in regularly and we will have that report uh by the end of the month.

F

So we should be able to review prior to our next hearing.

C

Any questions from the board members Commission on Smith's college logos, any questions.

E

No thank you. Jasmine.

A

C

A

C

B

Acknowledge we'll acknowledge um we'll, acknowledge the update and will circulate the report as soon as we have it.

E

C

Right acknowledges the market saturation of the update. um The following applicant was deferred from the bcb's November 16 2022 voting meeting to give the BCB time to conduct the market saturation research project. The applicant is vinyl Roots, Inc, DBA, Soul cannabis. The Pearl's license premise is 340 North Market, Street, Faneuil Hall, the license type is a retail recreational cannabis dispensary license. The proposed hours of operation are 9 A.M to 11 pm seven days a week. This is an equity applicant and there is a buffer zone. Conflict challenges.

B

I make a motion to defer, since we don't have the saturation study yet.

C

Is there a second to Mission homes, all in favor.

E

C

Aye, all right, so this applicant is deferred until we receive the market situation. Setting.

C

All right, so those are all the matters before the board today. Our next transaction on here will take place. March 15, 2023 at 1 pm hope everyone enjoys the rest of the day. Thank you.

E