Residents Grill Proposed Waltham Marijuana Retailer

WALTHAM, MA — A former Waltham resident is hoping to open a marijuana retail shop on Main Street by next summer or early fall. If approved, it could be the first retail marijuana shop in town.

The shop would be situated in the area between the Highlands and Cedarwood near Route 95. The building at 1256 Main St. will have parking for about 20 cars after it's renovated.

Damon Schmidt, who is also owner of Royalston Farm, said he has a provisional license for another retail shop called Tempest in Templeton and another store is set to open. Schmidt said he has already had a traffic study done and is optimistic about the shop's impact on the traffic in the neighborhood. He said he plans to apply for a special permit by this fall.

More than 50 people called into an online Zoom community meeting about the shop and peppered Schmidt with questions. Several supported the idea, but many more had concerns, mainly about traffic and what the shop might mean for the neighborhood nearby.

Schmidt, who lives in Bedford, said when the shop opened it would be appointment only for the first two weeks. While the city bylaws allow for shop hours from 8 am. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, nothing is set in stone yet, he said. He estimated the shop will have about four employees and a couple security personnel, in addition to a police detail at the beginning.

Several residents pushed back on the idea of having a marijuana retailer in their neighborhood.

Many expressing concern about traffic, parking and the proposed shop's proximity to a neighborhood.

"I do support the industry, I don't support the location," Amy Brown said.

She stressed Waltham neighborhoods like Ravenswood shouldn't be sacrificed.

"I also don't think the tax revenue is compelling enough [to get on board] ... I just think it's selling our soul ... for the revenue," she said.

Rebecca Tao, a local pastor, said she was OK with medical marijuana, but she was concerned about what recreational marijuana could do to young people in the community.

"I have seen up close and personal what so-called recreational marijuana does to teenagers, if you open up a dispensary close to people's homes in the neighborhoods, it is definitely going to arise curiosity," she said. She also said she worried about shops selling to minors.

Schmidt, a father, countered that he planned to have strict regulations and advised anyone concerned about retailers selling to underage to call the Cannabis Commission and the Attorney General's office.

He said part of security's job would be to check identifications for anyone in a car in the parking lot, as an effort to ensure only people over the age of 21 were on premises. Only people over the age of 21 are permitted in the building.

Schmidt is an equity participant, which means his business qualifies for expedited licensing. He said he expects to get a provisional license by early next year.

There will be an additional notice when this comes before City Council. Councilor Kristine Mackin encouraged people to continue to participate in public hearings online and in person in the months to come.

In November 2019 the city approved a new ordinance that puts the responsibility for negotiating and executing host agreements in the hands of the mayor. It is common for a mayor's office to negotiate a community host agreement and then send it to a City Council for approval.

Related:

Marijuana In Waltham: Public Hearing Kicks Up Debate ...
Marijuana In Waltham: Public Hearing Brings Out Dozens
Waltham City Council Approves New Marijuana Ordinance (Nov. 2019)