How two Quincy city councilors want to change the way pot shops are handled in the city

QUINCY − While only two marijuana stores are in Quincy, one medical and one recreational, at least three more are going through the approval process.

All five share one thing in common: They're all in wards 2 and 4.

The two city councilors representing those areas would like to change that.

"The way zoning is set up, it's forcing all of these places to be in these two particular areas," said Ward 2 City Councilor Anthony Andronico. "I don’t feel that it's right for one area of the city to bear the burden, just as you wouldn’t want all the liquor stores in Quincy to be in one neighborhood. That’s not fair."

"The idea was to keep them outside the neighborhoods," said Ward 4 City Councilor Jim Devine, noting that the Ricciuti Drive and Fore River Bridge pot shop locations are separated from residential areas. "Now all of a sudden they're trying to put them all over the place. It’s not for Ward 4 to be taking all of them."

Under Quincy’s zoning ordinance, retail marijuana establishments cannot be within 1,500 feet of a residential district. They cannot be within 500 feet of day cares or schools enrolling students under 21 years old or any public playground or youth athletic field.

The 500-feet buffer also applies to public facilities including parks, libraries, transit centers, beaches and skating rinks.

Few places in the city meet those requirements, and wards 2 and 4 hold most of the nonresidential parcels. However, applicants can and have obtained variances from the zoning board of appeals.

At the Oct. 2 council meeting, Andronico and Devine asked that the city's planning and inspectional services departments recommend changes to zoning laws to create a more equitable distribution of cannabis stores in Quincy.

All nine councilors approved the motion. Andronico said that at some point, probably next year, the administration will report on how to prevent the concentration of future dispensaries and retail establishments in his and Devine's wards.

Panacea Wellness operates a medical marijuana store off Ricciuti Drive in Quarry Hills. Panacea's parent company, MariMed, acquired the facility from Ermont Inc. in March, and the new ownership is seeking an adult-use license for recreational sales.

Quincy Cannabis Co., located in Ward 2 off the Fore River Bridge rotary, opened in March and is the city's only recreational retailer. Cloud 9 Cannabis has obtained approval from the zoning board to open a shop on Liberty Street near the BJ's gas station.

A fourth recreational establishment could open around the corner on Brook Road. Wildflower Cannabis held a community outreach meeting in May but hasn't appeared before the zoning board.

Panacea Wellness, Cloud 9 Cannabis and Wildflower Cannabis are all in Ward 4.

A fifth company, Chill and Bliss, held a community outreach meeting in May about a potential recreational store in Ward 2 at 503 Quincy Ave. Chill and Bliss has yet to appear before the zoning board of appeals.

While these five businesses have either opened or have officially begun the permitting process, Andronico said others have unofficially expressed interest in his ward.

"Anecdotally, I’ve had about four or five reach out since about two years ago," he said. "They're not trying to get to the other side of the city at the moment, in part due to the way that our zoning ordinance is set up."

Devine said two prospective recreational retailers reached out to him during his first seven months on the council.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Could marijuana dispensary zoning changes be coming to Quincy?