Proposed Beverly Cannabis Shop Gets Pushback From Neighbors

BEVERLY, MA —Despite promises from the owners that their proposed recreational marijuana store will have security better than pharmacies, neighbors of what would be Beverly's first recreational cannabis shop say they are worried.

"All you people are dope pushers," Trask street resident Thomas Vasile said during a virtual community outreach meeting last week. "We arrested people back in the '60s and '70s for that stuff."

Mint Retail Facilities wants to open a 4,500-square-foot recreational marijuana store on Sam Fonzo Drive, a mostly industrial street near Beverly Airport that runs parallel to the mostly residential Trask Street. Attorneys for Mint Retail said the store would be under 24-hour surveillance and its security would be better than security at pharmacies.

But neighbors raised several concerns during the meeting, which is one of the steps Mint needs to complete to get local approval and a host city agreement with Beverly. Theresa Vasile, another abutter, said she was worried about traffic, parking and noise issues, as well as "having strangers in our neighborhood."

In addition to state licenses, the proposed store still needs to get approval from the Beverly planning board and zoning board of appeals.

Dave Copeland covers Beverly and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).