Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Brockton — The top lawyer for Brockton's city government is behind a new proposal to build a medical marijuana dispensary at the Westgate Mall.
A limited liability company registered to City Solicitor Philip Nessralla is expected to petition the Brockton Zoning Board of Appeals at its upcoming March 14 meeting for a variance to have a medical marijuana facility at 165 Westgate Drive. The property is a plaza across the street from the main Westgate Mall building, which now features a medical supply store and an armed services recruitment center.
Messages seeking comment were left with Nessralla and Carpenter on Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, Carpenter told guests at the one-year anniversary celebration of The Champion Plan, a police-assisted substance abuse outreach program, that he was "getting more open-minded" about medical marijuana, after he was initially against the 2012 statewide ballot vote to legalize the doctor-prescribed product.
The first medical marijuana facility to open in Brockton was In Good Health, which opened in September 2015 and is located on West Chestnut Street.
During the anniversary celebration, the owner of In Good Health presented Carpenter with a $50,000 check for the police-assisted substance abuse outreach program, known as The Champion Plan. Carpenter said that he negotiated with that facility to contribute 1 percent of its earnings to nonprofits dealing with substance abuse issues in the city. Carpenter said he hopes that the initial community host agreement negotiated with the In Good Health dispensary could be a model for others in the future.
"You're going to make a lot of money selling medical marijuana in Brockton," said Carpenter, speaking about his negotiations with the dispensary. "You can give us one penny back (for each dollar) to help people."
According to county property records, Nessralla owns the deed to the 165 Westgate Drive property along with Frank J. Middleton.
The 165 Westgate Drive property is a C-2 general commercial zone, according to an agenda posted for the meeting of the five-person Zoning Board of Appeals, which features three members appointed by the mayor.
State Rep. Michelle DuBois came out against the variance to allow the medical marijuana facility in the commercial-zoned Westgate Mall area, explaining that the variance is needed before Nessralla's company can apply for a state medical marijuana dispensary license. As a former member of the Brockton City Council, DuBois helped create the overlay zoning district that allowed In Good Health to open on West Chestnut Street in an industrial area, which is the only place in the community that a medical marijuana facility can open up by right.
"I am 100 percent against granting the variance," said DuBois, in a post she published on Facebook. "If it is granted, that will open the flood gates for siting of facilities all across the city."
DuBois said that there is also another proposed medical marijuana facility that seeks to open on Liberty Street within the overlay zoning district. DuBois said that three marijuana dispensaries in one city is too many, and that the Westgate Mall is an inappropriate area for one.
"So, if the variance is granted, it would mean three in the city," the state lawmaker said. "I oppose that. Also, I would bet that all medical dispensaries will be authorized to distribute recreational marijuana too. I do not want that at the mall or all around the city."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Brockton City Solicitor Works To Open Marijuana Dispensary At Westgate Mall
Author: Marc Larocque
Contact: 508-427-4038
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Enterprise
A limited liability company registered to City Solicitor Philip Nessralla is expected to petition the Brockton Zoning Board of Appeals at its upcoming March 14 meeting for a variance to have a medical marijuana facility at 165 Westgate Drive. The property is a plaza across the street from the main Westgate Mall building, which now features a medical supply store and an armed services recruitment center.
Messages seeking comment were left with Nessralla and Carpenter on Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, Carpenter told guests at the one-year anniversary celebration of The Champion Plan, a police-assisted substance abuse outreach program, that he was "getting more open-minded" about medical marijuana, after he was initially against the 2012 statewide ballot vote to legalize the doctor-prescribed product.
The first medical marijuana facility to open in Brockton was In Good Health, which opened in September 2015 and is located on West Chestnut Street.
During the anniversary celebration, the owner of In Good Health presented Carpenter with a $50,000 check for the police-assisted substance abuse outreach program, known as The Champion Plan. Carpenter said that he negotiated with that facility to contribute 1 percent of its earnings to nonprofits dealing with substance abuse issues in the city. Carpenter said he hopes that the initial community host agreement negotiated with the In Good Health dispensary could be a model for others in the future.
"You're going to make a lot of money selling medical marijuana in Brockton," said Carpenter, speaking about his negotiations with the dispensary. "You can give us one penny back (for each dollar) to help people."
According to county property records, Nessralla owns the deed to the 165 Westgate Drive property along with Frank J. Middleton.
The 165 Westgate Drive property is a C-2 general commercial zone, according to an agenda posted for the meeting of the five-person Zoning Board of Appeals, which features three members appointed by the mayor.
State Rep. Michelle DuBois came out against the variance to allow the medical marijuana facility in the commercial-zoned Westgate Mall area, explaining that the variance is needed before Nessralla's company can apply for a state medical marijuana dispensary license. As a former member of the Brockton City Council, DuBois helped create the overlay zoning district that allowed In Good Health to open on West Chestnut Street in an industrial area, which is the only place in the community that a medical marijuana facility can open up by right.
"I am 100 percent against granting the variance," said DuBois, in a post she published on Facebook. "If it is granted, that will open the flood gates for siting of facilities all across the city."
DuBois said that there is also another proposed medical marijuana facility that seeks to open on Liberty Street within the overlay zoning district. DuBois said that three marijuana dispensaries in one city is too many, and that the Westgate Mall is an inappropriate area for one.
"So, if the variance is granted, it would mean three in the city," the state lawmaker said. "I oppose that. Also, I would bet that all medical dispensaries will be authorized to distribute recreational marijuana too. I do not want that at the mall or all around the city."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Brockton City Solicitor Works To Open Marijuana Dispensary At Westgate Mall
Author: Marc Larocque
Contact: 508-427-4038
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Enterprise
