Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Assoc. and Thomas Keenan, CEO of Cannabis Connection, present plans for the proposed retail marijuana shop to the Planning Board. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Cannabis Connection, Inc., a marijuana shop to be located on 40 Westfield Turnpike Industrial Road received site plan approval from the Planning Board on Tuesday. CEO Thomas P. Keenan and Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Assoc. presented the plan for a 4500 square foot retail marijuana dispensary that could open in 2019.
During the public hearing, Keenan said the shop would sell marijuana and accessories. He said it is located directly across from the Holiday Inn. The shop would be comprised of a covered area where customers will enter the building, and a secure area in the back of the shop for product.
The customer entrance would be on the north side of the building, and customers would be buzzed in with their ID’s. There will be a secure exit, and locked display cases that will be wheeled out every night. Keenan told the Planning Board that he met with Westfield Police Chief John Camerota on Tuesday to go over the plans for the security of the building, which will have monitored cameras inside and outside the shop, and was given his “blessing.”
Levesque said the construction, which is currently a parking lot, will reduce the amount of impervious area with a lawn area and tree plantings in the front, and parking on the rear and to the right of the building. When asked about signage, Levesque said they don’t have a specific location or design at this point, but it could be placed at the point of the property.
Keenan said one of the state rules is that no product may be consumed on site, and customers “can’t hang out in the parking lot.”
Planning Board member Jane Magarian asked if the shop would sell edibles, and Keenan replied that they would sell anything they purchase from licensed manufacturers. She also asked about the proximity of the location to the Southampton Road School, and Keenan said it is a mile away. He said the closest day care is well over 500 feet away, the ordinance requirement.
Magarian also said she had concerns about people from Southampton Apartments crossing Southampton Road to the site. “I am concerned about that. It’s not a question; there’s nothing you can do about it,” she said.
City planner Jay Vinskey said the plan only shows two light poles in the parking lot, and no lighting around the perimeter. “I would think you would want some lighting around the whole site,” he said.
Levesque said there will be ground lights on the building, and the parking lot on the right would be for overflow only. “We didn’t see the need to light up the whole neighborhood,” he said, adding the model is dark sky, down lit, with LED fixtures.
“I’m suggesting, if you approve this, having a certain level of lighting all around the building,” Vinskey said to the Planning Board.
In response to a question from Planning Board member Cheryl Crowe, Levesque said there would be fencing around the parking lot in the rear.
An adjacent business owner who did not give his name, said he was concerned about traffic, and the condition of the road, adding that a lake currently forms on the road in two areas. He said the street is also the “Minneapolis Speedway” in the early morning. He said it’s not easy for him to get in and out of his property there, and asked what the city would do with more traffic. “There is another dispensary on the other side of the MassPike. Why do there have to be two in one Industrial Area,” asked the business owner, referring to the proposed dispensary at Heka, Inc., located at 98 TM Sgt. Dion Way.
“As far as the condition of the street, the gentleman is absolutely correct,” Levesque said. He said they plan on cleaning catch basins in the street, and said the city may work on the other paving, adding that they need the drainage to work for them as well. He also said that improvements to the roads may be a part of the host community agreement to be negotiated with the city.
In terms of traffic, Levesque said they wouldn’t open until 9 a.m., missing the peak times. ”We don’t anticipate that we will be causing traffic problems based on the peak times in that area,” he said.
Planning Board chairman William Carellas reminded the board the approval before them was about the site only.
William Giles of 131 Springdale, also spoke against the proposed site. “This is a bad location. It’s close to schools and day care. There’s bad drainage. People are going to go there, buy that marijuana, and sit in the vacant lot behind Friendly,” Giles said, adding that cars currently go up Springdale and have to wait if the train is passing. “The traffic in that area is really bad. I oppose it,” Giles said.
Keenan said he purchased the property, and is consulting with a national company that has worked in half a dozen states and Canada on facility design, operation and making sure that everything meets state requirements. He said they are 90% through the application process, and hope to have an approved or provisional license by next spring. He said the state’s Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) has approved 25 licenses since July 1.
The public hearing was closed, and site plan approval was then given by the Planning Board.
