Medford To Welcome First Marijuana Cultivation Establishment

MEDFORD, MA — Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn has signed a Host Community Agreement with the city’s first marijuana cultivation establishment.

The city signed a five-year agreement with Mystic Cultivate, LLC for a cultivation site to be located on Mystic Avenue. The establishment joins recreational businesses Theory Wellness and Sanctuary Medicinals as Medford’s third marijuana company to enter into a Host Community Agreement with the city.

“By entering into this agreement with Mystic Cultivate, we’re expanding our commercial tax base, securing a substantial financial investment in our public library and providing our residents more job opportunities,” Lungo-Koehn said in a statement. “Much review, thought and consideration goes into the entire process, including each clause of this Host Community Agreement. I know Mystic will be a valuable and upstanding partner to Medford and I’m glad to see them invest in our community.”

Mystic Cultivate will now need to obtain Special Permit approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals before they can begin operation. They are also subject to approval from the state's Cannabis Control Commission.

As with the prior agreements with Theory Wellness and Sanctuary Medicinals, the leadership at Mystic Cultivate made it a priority to hire Medford residents whenever possible and has agreed to the mayor’s requirement that at least 50 percent of its employees will be women, at least 35 percent of employees will be of diverse backgrounds, and at least 5 percent of employees will be military veterans. Priority will also be given to local vendors whenever possible for resources and materials.

As part of the Host Community Agreement, Mystic Cultivate has agreed to support the Medford Public Library with annual donations of $35,000. The city will also be collecting 3 percent of gross sales on a quarterly basis per the agreement.

“I want to thank Mayor Lungo-Koehn for her leadership and vision for the future of Mystic Avenue,” Brian Zarthar, CEO of Mystic Cultivate, said in a statement. "By signing the Host Community Agreement, my team and I have proudly entered a long-term partnership with the City of Medford. As part of that agreement, we will support the Mayor’s vision, generate city tax revenue, and provide significant job opportunities for Medford residents.”

Medford voters approved regulated recreational marijuana dispensaries in a citywide election in November 2016. The Medford City Council began working on an ordinance in 2016 and approved zoning amendments to support the siting of these dispensaries in September 2020, with a vote to adopt a Cannabis Advisory Committee in November 2020. A Committee was convened and began its process in February 2021 with final recommendations submitted in Fall 2021. The mayor signed the first CHA in early March and and the second in late June.

Under City Ordinance, the mayor may negotiate up to three Host Community Agreements for marijuana dispensaries.