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Town Meeting could vote this spring to restrict medical marijuana dispensaries to the area along Rte. 9 known as the Golden Triangle.
Planning Board Director Jay Grande has drawn up a proposed overlay zoning district that would allow the medical marijuana treatment centers to open only in the designated area, from the Natick town line west to Dinsmore Avenue.
Alternatively, Town Meeting could reject the idea and vote to impose a moratorium that would give the town more time to study the issue now that voters have legalized medical marijuana in Massachusetts.
"I guess this is the way we'll find out what the sentiment is out there," Grande said Friday.
The ballot question voters approved in November calls for up to 35 dispensaries statewide, with at least one and up to five per county.
The state Department of Public Health hasn't yet rolled out regulations, and many communities, in the meantime, are taking steps to prohibit or regulate where dispensaries can go before they start popping up.
Grande said the proposed overlay district along Rte. 9 makes sense from the standpoint that it's heavily commercial and rents are relatively high.
"We believe that the concentration of businesses and higher value real estate essentially would ensure that if we were to have a treatment center that it would be of high quality in terms of its physical appearance," he said.
More "rigorous requirements" are written into the proposed bylaw, which requires two-thirds approval of Town Meeting, Grande said.
Selectmen will review the proposal Tuesday, and it is expected to come up for a vote at Annual Town Meeting in May.
A public hearing is scheduled at 7:45 p.m. on March 7 in the Ablondi Room of the Memorial Building.
Grande said the Medical Marijuana Treatment Center and Marijuana Cultivation bylaw would prohibit murals, signs or symbols that indicated the presence of pot. The proposed regulations also call for certain security measures and glazed, shatterproof windows.
A dispensary could be located within 300 feet from Rte. 9's center line, within the overlay district, Grande said.
Shoppers World, the Meadows office building and numerous restaurants, stores and businesses fall within the zone.
Grande said he researched and drew up the proposal with the help of Town Counsel and associate program planner Amanda Loomis.
Town Manager Robert Halpin and the building, public safety, health and community and economic development departments provided input.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: metrowestdailynews.com
Author: Danielle Ameden
Contact: The MetroWest Daily News Contact Us
Website: Framingham's Golden Triangle could allow pot shops - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
Planning Board Director Jay Grande has drawn up a proposed overlay zoning district that would allow the medical marijuana treatment centers to open only in the designated area, from the Natick town line west to Dinsmore Avenue.
Alternatively, Town Meeting could reject the idea and vote to impose a moratorium that would give the town more time to study the issue now that voters have legalized medical marijuana in Massachusetts.
"I guess this is the way we'll find out what the sentiment is out there," Grande said Friday.
The ballot question voters approved in November calls for up to 35 dispensaries statewide, with at least one and up to five per county.
The state Department of Public Health hasn't yet rolled out regulations, and many communities, in the meantime, are taking steps to prohibit or regulate where dispensaries can go before they start popping up.
Grande said the proposed overlay district along Rte. 9 makes sense from the standpoint that it's heavily commercial and rents are relatively high.
"We believe that the concentration of businesses and higher value real estate essentially would ensure that if we were to have a treatment center that it would be of high quality in terms of its physical appearance," he said.
More "rigorous requirements" are written into the proposed bylaw, which requires two-thirds approval of Town Meeting, Grande said.
Selectmen will review the proposal Tuesday, and it is expected to come up for a vote at Annual Town Meeting in May.
A public hearing is scheduled at 7:45 p.m. on March 7 in the Ablondi Room of the Memorial Building.
Grande said the Medical Marijuana Treatment Center and Marijuana Cultivation bylaw would prohibit murals, signs or symbols that indicated the presence of pot. The proposed regulations also call for certain security measures and glazed, shatterproof windows.
A dispensary could be located within 300 feet from Rte. 9's center line, within the overlay district, Grande said.
Shoppers World, the Meadows office building and numerous restaurants, stores and businesses fall within the zone.
Grande said he researched and drew up the proposal with the help of Town Counsel and associate program planner Amanda Loomis.
Town Manager Robert Halpin and the building, public safety, health and community and economic development departments provided input.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: metrowestdailynews.com
Author: Danielle Ameden
Contact: The MetroWest Daily News Contact Us
Website: Framingham's Golden Triangle could allow pot shops - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
