Just under 25 months after Newton and Massachusetts first voted to approve adult-use recreational marijuana, the Newton City Council finally approved, 19-3, the zoning regulations that will allow up to eight retail cannabis stores to open here Monday night. It will still be months before Garden Remedies on Washington Street begins selling recreational. And there will likely be protracted Land Use battles when other business owners seek the needed special permits to open in what will inevitably be seen as in someone’s backyard. But this is still a milestone.
It’s unfortunate that our out-of-touch City Council felt the need to pass such restrictive zoning laws given the city’s overwhelming support for treating marijuana like alcohol. Still, I guess anything that moves the process along at this point could be considered positive. But why will be be losing so many more months of cannabis tax revenue? And who are those 3 councilors who voted against the zoning plan? If they did it because the zoning is too restrictive, then bravo! But if they voted no because they remain determined to keep legal cannabis stores out of Newton despite voter approval, then they should be challenged for re-election.
@Gerry: According to my recollection (someone correct me if I’m mistaken) Councilors Ciccone, Kelley and Markowitz were the no votes. None of them said that they felt the rules were too restrictive. Councilor Schwartz said he would docket an item in 2019 adding a manufacturing zone to allowable locations.
There has been ongoing discussion around the 1/2 mile restrictions around these stores being too restrictive and wanting to take the BU2 areas out and adding manufacturing and limited manufacturing – but not for the reasons you might think.
The reason is to keep marijuana stores out of Ward 6 and Ward 7.
According to Ken Parker and many others:
“I actually think that having any minimum distance between marijuana retailers is a mistake, since it forces these businesses to be distributed throughout the City, rather than being located in the few appropriate locations we have. Ideally, a few of the marijuana businesses could be clustered in one small manufacturing area (potentially even in the same building), making it easier for enforcement and keeping the marijuana stores farther from schools and residences.”
Great – a new combat zone.
I agree, Marti. It’s a terrible idea, made worse by the fact that these stores are cash only at this point and manufacturing zones are isolated, with no reason to go there after the businesses close in the evening. If the city wants to open MAN to retail, that would be another matter, but that doesn’t appear to be what’s proposed.
The ongoing hemming and hawing about recreational marijuana shops in Newton is infuriating.
Voters have repeatedly voted to allow these legal, highly-regulated, secure, business to operate here. Last night Councilor Schwartz expressed concern about out of towners coming to Newton to visit these shops as if the idea of shoppers from other communities coming to Newton to spend money here is a bad thing.
We should be welcoming commerce and the tax revenues, not fearing it.
Also, was Ken Parker volunteering his neighborhood for this cluster of retail cannabis shops? Or was this just another NIMBY ploy?
The City Council already cost the taxpayers of Newton millions of dollars by missing out on the most lucrative Community Host Agreements. That’s real money this city will never recover…
Worse, the Mayor and City Council actively worked behind the scenes for nearly two years to derail the 2016 vote that legalized marijuana, in complete contradiction to the instructions given them by voters. The Mayor and Council [with the exception of Albright and Krintzman] have not only displayed their ignorance on just about everything to do with cannabis, they have repeatedly demonstrated quite clearly that they have little respect for their constituents and complete disregard for the democratic process.
This new zoning plan clearly demonstrates the obstructionist behavior from City Hall is not over. With local elections still another year away and no recall provision in the City Charter, Councilors like Schwartz, Baker, Cote, Kelley, Ciccone can find some comfort in justice delayed. I have little doubt the voters will show them the exit to their political careers in 2019. In the meantime I suggest concerned citizens follow Maxine Waters advice, and publicly confront those elected “leaders” who have forgotten how democracy is supposed to work.
@Marti – the few loud voices from Ward 6 are not necessarily representative of the Ward. They certainly don’t share my opinion.
Also, the discussion in Ward 6 has become confused because of the antipathy to the smoke shop moving in to the Highlands. There are many of us who are unhappy about having it on Lincoln St. but are not opposed to legal marijuana shops in the ward, but posts on the Highlands email list have started entangling the two issues.
Meredith, I was only commenting on those loud voices, residents and some councilors, trying to disguise their intent to keep MJ stores out of wards 6 and 7 by saying the I/2 mile radius around cannibis stores in the zoning code is too restrictive. I have heard it and read it several times without it being involved in the discussion about the smoke and vape shop, although the quote I posted was from one of those discussions.
I too wouldn’t want the vape and smoke shop but it’s still ironic that a much more addictive and harmful substance can open a store by right but marijuana stores cannot. There are uproars over both but nothing can be done about the more harmful one.
No areas are zoned as manufacturing in Ward 6, so actually it appears that Ken Parker was trying to keep shops from opening in his ward. That’s the whole point of this proposal. Most of the MAN zones are north of the Pike. The MAN zones in Auburndale are close to residential areas which doesn’t seem to be in keeping with the sentiment Ken expressed.
@Jane – I wasn’t disagreeing with that being Ken’s aim. I was just saying that this shouldn’t be taken as representing all or even most Ward 6 residents.
Meredith-I completely understand that and agree with you.
If Newton is going to meet the stated social justice goals in the marijuana law, and help minority entrepreneurs, it is going to have to add the manufacturing zones which are the only affordable commercial locations left in the city.
Less well-capitalized entrepreneurs will likely focus more on home delivery when that us approved, so they don’t need high profile retail space that leases for $40-$60/sf. They can pay less than half that in the manufacturing zones.
@Jane Frantz — I hope the citizens committee you headed in helping defeat the proposed cannabis ban will remain in place to hold out-of-touch councilors responsible for casting votes directly opposed to their constituents’ wishes. It’d be great if Scott Lennon were to take Ciccone’s seat. It’d also be great if Allison Sharma were to run again and get her name on the ballot this time because she’d surely be an excellent replacement for Markiewicz. Historically it’s been hard to find qualified candidates to run in Ward 3 but hopefully a pro-cannabis opponent for Kelley will emerge. The days of councilors opposing the will of the voters need to end now!
Speaking of which, Ward 6 voters strongly opposed the ban, just like the rest of the city. At least one of the 8 cannabis stores should be in Newton Centre, where it’s a travesty that no landlord will currently rent to a smoke/vape shop. Legal cannabis is here to stay. Let’s stop trying to prohibit it and start embracing the jobs and investment opportunities and tax revenue that come with it.