Worcester has 24 prospective pot shops for its 15 available licenses
Photo | Zachary Comeau
Good Chemistry CEO Matthew Huron stands in front of a point-of-sale counter at the company's Worcester dispensary which opened for medical sales earlier this month.
Worcester is working to determine which of the proposed 24 retail cannabis stores will land the city’s 15 licenses.
The city issued a request for interest in July, and the interest has been strong and steady, as 25 different companies have replied to the RFI and indicated plans to open 31 different cannabis-focused locations.
Of those responses to the RFI, 24 are for retail shops.
So far, the city has only granted one special permit to Good Chemistry’s 9 Harrison St. location. The Colorado-based company still awaits a license from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission and plans to open later this year.
Two companies -- TDMA LLC and Trichome Health Corp. -- are proposing three retail locations each. TDMA LLC wants to open stores at 1130 Pleasant St., 74 Grafton St. and 205 Summer St.
Trichome Health Corp. wants to open stores at 288 Shrewsbury St., 62-28 West Boylston St. and 580 Park Ave.
Only two companies -- Mission Massachusetts and Holistic Health Group Inc. -- are planning to both cultivate and sell products in the same locations at 640 Lincoln St. and 3 Coes Square, respectively.
There are five potential locations only seeking licenses for cultivation, manufacturing or transportation, or a combination of those uses.
One company, Magic Dragon, is seeking a license to operate a microbusiness, which is a small cultivator or manufacturer, according to the state's regulations.
According to Jake Sanders, an assistant in the city manager’s office, only businesses that have held a community meeting and responded to the city’s RFI will be reviewed, and the city’s Cannabis Review Committee will review the applications and recommend to City Manager Ed Augustus with what companies to begin discussions on a host community agreement.
With an agreement in place, the businesses can then apply to the Cannabis Control Commission for state licenses and then the city’s Planning Board and License Commission.
Good Chemistry and Prime Wellness -- proposing a retail and medical site at 65 Pullman St. -- are the only to have signed a host community agreement with the city.
According to the CCC, the only Worcester companies to seek state approvals are Good Chemistry and cultivator Temescal Wellness.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments