Quincy zoning board delays decision on marijuana store. Here's why

QUINCY ? The zoning board of appeals postponed a decision on a proposed Brook Road recreational marijuana store, saying it first needs an independent traffic study to gauge the store's impact on the neighborhood.

After a presentation Tuesday night by Wildflower Cannabis, board members continued its hearing on the application until May 7. In the meantime, they asked the city's engineers to assess how much traffic the new business at 159 Brook Road would create and if the area can sustain it.

In addition to the traffic issue, board Chair Martin Aikens said he was concerned about the site's proximity to another proposed dispensary, Pinnacle Cannabis, at Water and Liberty streets, less than a quarter-mile away. Pinnacle received the board's approval last September.

Wildflower seeks relief from certain zoning restrictions

Wildflower is seeking a special permit to build inside a flood plain and 375 feet from a residential district. The city's zoning ordinance sets the minimum at 1,500 feet, a restriction that makes opening a cannabis store in Quincy virtually impossible without the board's approval.

Wildflower is also seeking permission to build the store 175 feet from an establishment with a liquor license, the Morrissette American Legion Post. Legal requirements set 500 feet as the minimum.

Board members raise concerns about two dispensaries on the same block

Board members' questions focused on traffic and proximity to the other proposed dispensary, not on the zoning restrictions.

"What made you pick that area?" Aikens asked. "There's one right around the corner."

In response, lawyer Erin Riley said Wildflower was the first to bring forward plans to open a cannabis store in the area. As Wildflower undertook extra surveying of the flood plain, the other company, Pinnacle, gained board approval.

"They jumped ahead of us," Riley said.

Wildflower co-owner Eleanor Winship said she's comfortable with another dispensary on the same block.

"We're looking to build a subscription-type of clientele," she said, which differentiates Wildflower's business model and products from what she called more typical "roll it up and smoke it" stores.

Co-owner Maggie Suprey said Wildflower selected the site to comply with distance requirements from schools, day care centers, youth sports facilities and other locations frequented by minors. She said proximity to another dispensary is not in Quincy's cannabis bylaws.

Riley said that by law, Quincy must allow for at least eight special permits for cannabis stores, which amounts to 20% of the liquor licenses in the city. Given the zoning regulations, Riley said there is no way to fit that number of sites without having some close to one another.

Request for more traffic analysis

Board members Russell Chin and Charles O'Brien latched onto projections in a traffic study submitted by Wildflower that set an upper limit of vehicles visiting the business at 372 on weekdays and 457 on Saturdays.

"I have a difficult time with that number of trips in the middle of a block in that neighborhood," O'Brien said.

"I have to work with the numbers (Wildflower's traffic engineer) provided," Chin said. "That's 372 trips on a weekday and 457 on a Saturday in a dense neighborhood."

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Chin said Brook Road essentially becomes a one-way street when cars are parked along the shoulder. He also raised concerns about having a clear passage for emergency vehicles using the road, noting the presence of Coastal Medical Transportation Systems at 111 Brook Road.

On these grounds, the board postponed its decision until May 7, allowing for an independent traffic analysis to be conducted, potentially by the city Department of Traffic, Parking, Alarm and Lighting.

After the hearing, Winship told The Patriot Ledger that she was disappointed because she had hoped for a green light to start construction after two years of planning. She said she's confident in the conclusion drawn by the traffic engineer hired by Wildflower and is comfortable with the city's experts taking a another look.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy zoning board wants traffic study before voting on pot shop