Second Newton Marijuana Shop Edges Closer To Opening

NEWTON, MA — A marijuana retail store set to open along Route 9 at Elliot Street is closer to becoming the second in the Garden City to open.

According to Cypress Tree CEO Victor Chiang, the space at the former Green Tea restaurant was gutted in July and renovation with the building and the parking lot could be finished by the end of November.

"We are regrading the parking lot to be able to put a real sidewalk in front of the building and from Elliot Street into the plaza for pedestrians," said Chiang.

Crews are also working to bring a water in for sprinklers. Chiang said interior work would begin soon, he's just finalizing the outlets with the electrician.

"We're excited," Chiang said.

The effort to open shop in this spot has been underway for years and has included a number of neighborhood meetings.

The company has provisional medical and recreational licenses from the state.

Once they get a certificate of occupancy from the city, the Cannabis Control Commission will then inspect the shop and if that goes well, next comes the Cannabis Control Certificate of registration.

The timing on those would put opening in early 2021, he told Patch.

"Pandemic has definitely slowed things done some," Chiang said.

He started work on the building before the pandemic and when the shutdown happened it brought work to a standstill.

In light of the pandemic, he's redesigned the building to cater to a post-coronavirus world, including adding a separate door to exit, rather than having customers share a door to get in and out of the building.

"We wanted to change that so that customers and patients are really making a loop within the space," he said. "That's the biggest thing we changed."

The company still plans to hire between 35 and 40 staff, a mix of security, front of house retail and back of house workers, he said. As the end of the year draws near, Chiang said he planned to post more about that.

"We really want to focus on local hirings," he said. "Particularly Newton residents - parents looking for part time work or college students."

And speaking of local, Chiang stressed he wanted neighbors to feel comfortable bringing concerns to him.

Although there are no more public meetings scheduled he said he's happy to meet with neighborhood groups who want to come and chat.

"We do want to be a good corporate citizen, so if neighbors feel like we're being disruptive, we want to sit down and understand the challenges," he said.

That said, he added given where the space is situated, he was confident the shop wouldn't bee too disruptive from a parking or traffic perspective.

In 2016, about 54 percent of Newton voters supported the statewide ballot measure that legalized marijuana. Marijuana is legal for adults over the age of 21 in 10 states, including Massachusetts. Medical marijuana is legal in 33. That said: the federal government still classifies marijuana as a "schedule 1 drug," listing it as high potential for abuse.

In 2018 Newton voters rejected a proposed ban on recreational marijuana shops. They also poo pooed limiting the number of shops to 2-4, according to unofficial Election Night results. Newton now has eight licenses to give out in total.

Garden Remedies on Washington Street was the first pot shop to open in the city in 2016 as a medical marijuana dispensary. In May 2019, it added recreational marijuana sales by appointment. Both are by appointment only. Ascend on Washington Street was close behind, but plans there stalled last year.

Related:

• Newton's First Recreational Marijuana Shop To Open (May 2019)
• 3 More Marijuana Retailers Clear 1st Hurdle To (Sept. 2019)
• Marijuana Retail Shop 'Union Twist' Proposed For Newton ... (Oct. 2019)
• Ascend Refiles Petition For Marijuana Dispensary In Newton ... (Feb. 2020)

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