SHIRLEY – THRIVE Cultivation and Dispensary, LLC, a start-up that aims to grow and sell marijuana from an envisioned new facility on Lancaster Road came a step closer to doing business here when the Board of Selectmen voted last week to sign two host community agreements (HCA), hammered out over the last few months with company representatives and attorneys. On Shirley’s side: town counsel and Selectman Bryan Sawyer, representing the board.
One agreement is for a retail shop, the other is for growing marijuana, both on the same Lancaster Road site.
Previously vetted by a marijuana sub-committee the selectmen appointed some time ago, THRIVE was the group’s top pick, the only one of three first-round applicants to make it through the process. One withdrew early on. During discussions at the time, the group cited the company’s detailed business plan and other favorable points in the application as key reasons for its recommendation.
Owned by the Cardillo family, which already owns property on Lancaster Road that is the target building location, THRIVE aims to sell and grow its product on site. A relatively new zoning bylaw designates the area – already zoned for industrial use – specifically for marijuana establishments.
In a conversation with a Nashoba Valley Voice reporter last week, Town Administrator Mike McGovern explained what happens next.
After a community meeting a couple months ago and with HCAs in hand, THRIVE can now take its proposal to the state Cannabis Control Commission, which sets rules and regulations for marijuana operations state wide and issues licenses. The CCC also created the approval process, which in all could take 12 to 18 months to complete, McGovern said.
According to McGovern, the company will likely edge the approval process forward by tackling two steps in tandem. While the application is considered at the state level, THRIVE can move through the permit process in town. It will need, for example, a special permit from the Planning Board, he said.
It’s all new ground for Shirley, in a way, but not a new idea. Wheels started turning almost two years ago, McGovern said, when an outfit called MJ’s Market was the first marijuana business to make contact with the Board of Selectmen. More visits from other marijuana purveyors hoping to do business here followed. But at some point, the selectmen reversed course.
After inking an HCA with MJ’s, McGovern suggested a do-over. As the marijuana market heated up, state-wide, the board should cast a wider net, he said, with an eye to getting the best deal for the town. The board agreed. But rather than hearing what could be a slew of in-person presentations and sorting through applications, McGovern said the next best step was to set up a committee. The board agreed.
During last week’s selectmens’ meeting, Town Counsel Nicole Costanzo of KP Law, sketched out key details in the new HCA documents. There are two, she said, one for retail, one for cultivation and manufacturing at 130 Lancaster Road. They both outline the “scope of operations” on site, she said, with “provisions based thereon.”
The selectmen were particularly interested in perks for the town. For example, an “impact fee” that directs 3% of the firm’s gross sales to the town for its first five years in business. After that, the town would need to renegotiate, Costanzo said.
There’s also a separate, $5,000 annual benefit the firm must pay in, plus a $20,000 “good neighbor” donation to an in-town charity chosen by the firm, also paid each year. In addition, the company agrees to hire locally when possible, including employees, contractors and vendors, she said.
Other provisions in the HCA documents include hours of operation – 8 am to 8 pm – and traffic management, in consultation with the police chief.
THRIVE has agreed to start off with a “soft opening” in which customers will be by appointment only, with police details and parking attendants as needed, she said, and if a “nuisance” arises, the company will mitigate matters by providing shuttle service.
For the cultivation piece, traffic isn’t as much an issue as it is for retail, she said. But “added language” addresses issues that are, such as waste management, odors, energy and water use. Retail regulations include no on-site consumption and an agreement to work with the police chief on security, she said.
There’s also an 18-month “sunset clause” that offers the town an optional out if the firm fails to start up in the agreed-upon period. The board can extend the deadline, however, if the company asks.
Planning Board member Janet Tice asked about another three-percent the company will add to town coffers, based on a town meeting vote. That’s right, Costanzo said, THRIVE must also contribute another three percent as a sales tax, payable to the town.
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