SPRINGFIELD — A property manager for the Eastfield Mall said Tuesday that a proposal for a marijuana facility at the former Macy’s department store fits in well with the mall’s long-term redevelopment plans.
A public community outreach meeting, giving residents a chance to hear details about the proposed marijuana business and to ask questions, is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Eastfield Mall Food Court.
Springfield-based Cannaworld Inc. recently announced plans to open a recreational marijuana retail store on the first floor of the former Macy’s store at the 1685 Boston Road mall. The plans call for a cultivation and manufacturing facility on the second floor, said Cannaworld President David Mech.
Springfield business seeks to open marijuana facility at former Macy’s store at Eastfield Mall
Cannaworld Inc., is proposing to open a marijuana operation including retail store, cultivation and manufacturing at the former Macy’s store building at the Eastfield Mall on Boston Road.
Nicole Sweeny, co-property manager for the mall owner, Mountain Development Corp., said the reaction from other tenants has been very positive.
“Mountain Development Corp. and the mall are certainly supportive of it,” Sweeney said. “We’re ultimately looking to redevelop the property into a mixed use space, with office as well as retail and dining. We think this particular use would help us attract other alternative health practitioners into those proposed office spaces, like chiropractic, yoga and holistic health care providers.”
The mall has no concerns regarding safety or security, Sweeney said, because of Mech’s security plans and strict state regulations. State requirements include video cameras inside and outside any marijuana facility, and procedures to prevent anyone under age 21 from entering the business.
“The proposal by Dave Mech addresses every security concern we could possibly think of, and many we hadn’t even considered,” Sweeney said.
There is currently a multi-vendor “weekend market” operated by Bulldog Enterprises at the Macy’s location. The mall’s goal is to relocate the market to another area, Sweeney said.
A lease agreement between the mall and Cannaworld is not yet finalized due to the pending marijuana license application process.
The Macy’s store closed in 2016, and the 127,000-square-foot building was sold to Mountain Development for $1 million in 2017. The company already owned the Eastfield Mall property before purchasing the separate Macy’s building.
Eastfield Mall owners buy old Macy’s store in move paving the way for redevelopment on Boston Road
Mountain Development, the New Jersey-based owners of Springfield’s Eastfield Mall, bought the former Macy’s store there earlier this month for $1 million.
Mech said the proposed new marijuana business is an amazing opportunity, and “will be a rebirth for the mall.”
He would also seek to use part of the first floor for cannabis-related products such as growing lights, tents and cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is an extract from hemp that lacks marijuana’s psychoactive properties.
Sweeney said that with the legalization of marijuana in Massachusetts, it seems to be “the wave of the future.”
There has been other interest in the mall for marijuana-related uses, Sweeney said.
“Clearly, the repeated interest seen in the anchor space, for marijuana sale and cultivation, has shown us that this is an opportunity that should not be ignored” with marijuana no longer prohibited in Massachusetts, Sweeney said.
Sears, which is now vacant, is separately owned.
“We’re holding our own,” Sweeney said, regarding how the mall is faring with challenges.
The mall is about 98 percent occupied. Dean Foods is a tenant at the former JCPenney’s store, she said.
Sweeney said the mall sees the proposed marijuana business as an opportunity for increased foot traffic.
“A lot of tenants are excited about the idea,” she said.
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