Melrose Passes On Downtown Retail Marijuana Store

MELROSE, MA — Where Melrose's second recreational retail marijuana store lands - if anywhere - has become a neighborhood game of hot potato. After much discussion, the Board of Aldermen has appeared to nip it in the, ahem, bud.

While no official vote by the Board was had, it looks like Melrose will be limited to one retail marijuana store, which would be restricted to Route 99 and very possibly could occupy the same space as the medical marijuana store in operation. The Planning Board's suggestion was to cap the number of retail stores at two - with the potential of the second sprouting in Melrose's downtown - but a late amendment looked to cap it at just the Route 99 one.

The Board of Aldermen did not take a vote on the amendment as they wanted to eyeball the amended ordinance with rested eyes. The meeting ended more than four hours after it started.

The decision late Monday night came in front of what was at times a standing room-only crowd at the Aldermanic Chambers in City Hall (including someone wielding a local TV station camera, if you're wondering how big this was.) After a few hours of discussion, the Board's ultimate call was to pause, take a breath ... and not inhale.

"Once this is instituted, it won't go away," Alderman Peter Mortimer, who filed the initial order to restrict the retail marijuana store to Route 99, said. That order was put on file as an amendment by Aldermen Mike Zwirko made it redundant.

Mucking things up was the Planning Board's proposal tucked into the amendment stating a marijuana cultivator, manufacturer, research facility and testing lab, and transportation and distribution facility could pop up anywhere in the city. Some aldermen appeared taken aback by that, and the Board is expected to make another amendment to address it before they finally vote next week. Monday night's work was largely done by the Appropriation Committee - which is a committee of the whole and a reliable precursor of the Board's actions.

The votes mostly put to a rest, for now, a lively discussion about how Melrose should navigate a business that is unfolding before our eyes.

The conversation befitted a city that ever-so-slightly voted in favor of Question 4 in 2016 - the question passed with 51.6 percent in favor and 48.4 percent opposed. All of 518 votes made the difference. It passed, but opponents have made it clear they believe the narrow gap should be factored into how this plays out.

"Let's not fool ourselves that the vote that took place .... was some sort of a mandate, because it wasn't," Alderman Shawn MacMaster said. MacMaster early this year led the charge to keep his ward on the lower Washington Street area from being zoned for retail marijuana, which opened up the possibility of the downtown location.

MacMaster also issued a sharp rebuke of retail marijuana because of its federal illegality. That conviction led MacMaster to be one of two aldermen in the Appropriations Committee voting against Monday night's amendment.

The other vote against was from Alderman Manisha Bewtra, who appeared to be the only alderman in favor of the initial proposal of two retail shops.

Mayor Gail Infurna also weighed in, urging a slow trek down a new frontier in a letter to the Board.

"Based on my current understanding ... the most responsible action for our City to take would be to only authorize marijuana retail establishments along Route 99," limiting the number of shops to one, Infurna said.

That feeling was reflected by some aldermen, including President of the Board Jen Lemmerman, who said the city should try to mirror the experience of recreational with its current medical facility and roll out retail in the same area.

"An incremental approach to the policy of where to zone makes the most sense to me," Alderman Kate Lipper-Garabedian said.

Melrose is one of the few area communities north of Boston that voted in favor of retail marijuana. But as was brought up several times Monday night, Melrose thinks itself a bit different, with its Victorian feel and enviable gem of a downtown.

"The historical character of Melrose resonates with me," Lipper-Garabedian said.

There are more quantifiable things that set Melrose apart, of course. You still can't purchase liquor unless you go to a restaurant, and even there you need to buy food if you want to keep drinking. The city is also relatively strict on instant lottery games such as KENO and tobacco signage.

And as such, Melrose does not need to rush to get ahead of a potential retail pot surge.

"I don't view these as restrictions," Alderman Scott Forbes said. "I view these as safeguards."

The argument about downtown businesses flourishing in the foot traffic a pot shop would draw took a heavy hit during public comment. Lauren Grymek, the executive director of Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber has spoken to downtown businesses and decided not to support zoning downtown for a dispensary.

The owners of Giacomo's, Madison Ave. and LCM Plus were among those rebuking the downtown marijuana zoning Monday night.

The city's Planning Board has pursued allowing for up to two recreational marijuana retail locations. While it's been widely believed one will end up in the area of Garden Remedies - possibly inside that very building - whether or not to allow the second and where it would be restricted to has been the crux of the debate.

The Planning Board in January withdrew the proposal to zone a retail marijuana store in the lower Washington Street area after swift community backlash. That area may still not be in the clear, Planning Board Chairwoman Anne DeSouza-Ward said in a February letter to the Board.

"It is important to note ... that the City of Malden has zoned to allow this use directly across the Melrose-Malden border near Oak Grove Station, so it is possible that this neighborhood could experience the effects of a marijuana retailer without the City having any ability to regulate it," DeSouza-Ward said.

That's been a not-so-hidden fear of the Melrose. The city knows that dragging its feet opens the possibility for Malden opening a shop near the Melrose line, meaning Melrose would have to deal with whatever burden that may present without sharing in the revenue. It's a strategy Melrose should know well - it's what it did with Garden Remedies.

Inevitably, some residents linked the marijuana stores to the override. The city can take a 3 percent tax, and how could a city asking its residents for more than $5 million in April say "no" to all the cash it could get? Mortimer addressed that, saying even $2 million of such revenue would only result in $60,000 in taxes - far from the gap the city is hoping to bridge.

Mortimer also delivered the line of the night. While railing against those accusing opponents the pot shop of "NIMBY," Mortimer said the Route 99 location is the city's backyard.

He just wants "NIMFY" - Not In My Front Yard.

Related

• Potential Melrose Pot Shop Takes Heat
• Melrose Could Allow 2 Pot Shops: Here's Where
• Downtown Pot Shop Could Become Reality For Melrose
• Retail Pot Revenue Should Fund Melrose Schools, Safety: Alderman

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