The prospect of the bar Mary Ann’s — located just over the Newton line at Cleveland Circle — become a recreational marijuana shop is worrying some abutters and Boston College Police Chief William Evans.
Meanwhile here in Newton Ward 6 Councilor Greg Schwartz sent the email below yesterday to the Newton Highlands list serve in response to objections about his proposal to add some manufacturing zoning districts to the allowable locations for recreational marijuana shops in Newton
Hello everyone,I hope you all had an enjoyable and healthy holiday season! I would like to clarify my proposal regarding zoning for marijuana dispensaries. It is to ADD manufacturing districts to the list of zoning districts in which these establishments can be placed. It does not, in the least, REQUIRE “all cannabis stores” to be in manufacturing districts. It simply adds them as an option. This is intended to increase the flexibility for both the permit applicants and the city council in finding appropriate sites for such stores. Of course we will take into account lighting and safety of particular sites that are proposed, just as we consider traffic and parking at other proposed sites. There will be discussion of the proposal at an upcoming meeting of the Zoning and Planning committee – and everyone can debate the merits then. I would add that there is support for this proposal from around the city, not just Ward 6.
Best, GregCouncilor at Large, Ward 6. Chairman, Land Use Committee
I hope you all had an enjoyable and healthy holiday season! I would like to clarify my proposal regarding zoning for marijuana dispensaries. It is to ADD manufacturing districts to the list of zoning districts in which these establishments can be placed. It does not, in the least, REQUIRE “all cannabis stores” to be in manufacturing districts. It simply adds them as an option. This is intended to increase the flexibility for both the permit applicants and the city council in finding appropriate sites for such stores. Of course we will take into account lighting and safety of particular sites that are proposed, just as we consider traffic and parking at other proposed sites. There will be discussion of the proposal at an upcoming meeting of the Zoning and Planning committee – and everyone can debate the merits then. I would add that there is support for this proposal from around the city, not just Ward 6. 
Why is it that elected officials have such a hard time understanding the concept of “regulating marijuana like alcohol”? Clearly Schwartz is no dummy. He just thinks the rest of us are. He’s trying to manipulate a situation where the City Council will only approve cannabis in manufacturing zones. Schwartz is and always has been one of the hard line prohibitionists on the City Council. Don’t be fooled by his most recent ploy.
Not sure what parts of the city are zoned manufacturing… Wells Avenue? The area up behind Needham Street/rt.128 (near You Do It Electronics)?
Regardless, that is fine by me!
Am I crazy to think pot shops would be a boon to our old and tired village centers? Why are we pushing them away?
None are in Ward 6; many are north of the Pike. No one knows about this except the city councilors, unless it’s being shared at the zoning meetings currently being held around the city.