There are ample reasons, in our opinion, for why the City Council should vote “no’’ tonight on Tree Market LLC’s request to open a marijuana retailer at 212 Broad St. the site of the Fastenal products building on the corner of Broad and lower Washington streets.
Lower Washington is on the outside edge of a sustained development boom that extends from Oxford Street to Munroe Street to the Lynnway.
This ongoing work is unprecedented in the city’s modern history for its potential to bring new residents into Lynn and pour new property tax dollars into city coffers that can be spent on bettering the lives of Lynn residents.
Tree Market is one of seven marijuana retailers permitted by the council to legally sell marijuana in Lynn. Other retailers include Apothca, with its gigantic Lynnway sign.
The council granted Tree Market a permit last February to open for business at 3 Mount Vernon St. The company subsequently decided that the Fastenal site with its adjacent parking lot and high visibility on a major Broad Street intersection was a more favorable business location.
The council’s Recreational Cannabis Site Plan Review Committee voted 2-2 on Jan. 14 to not favorably recommend Tree Market’s site change to the full council.
Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn) Executive Director James Cowdell and Assistant City Solicitor James Lamanna voted against Tree Market locating on Broad Street. Ward 2 Councilor Rick Starbard and Ward 5 Councilor Dianna Chakoutis voted for the site change.
Legal marijuana sales have secured a solid foothold in Lynn’s economy; that reality is not in question. But the kind of significant development Lynn has needed for years is also taking hold, with lower Washington Street a focal point for the new growth.
The $35 million Gateway North residential building is barely three blocks from the Fastenal site and a new $3.5 million mixed-use development is located near Gateway. Lucille, a wine shop and tasting bar, opened on lower Washington Street last week. Its opening is no accident; the development that has transformed lower Washington Street from a row of rundown bars into a pleasant and conveniently-located place to live is also sparking entrepreneurship opportunities.
Granted, Tree Market is an entrepreneurship, but the Fastenal site is the wrong location for a marijuana shop, in particular because of recent developer interest in the corner lot.
We urge the council to vote down Tree Market’s permit request Tuesday and, in doing so, reaffirm lower Washington Street’s future for development.