We're just going to give it a second to let the waiting room clear. Please make sure you're muted as you enter. All right, we're going to get started. Good afternoon. This is a hearing before the Boston Cannabis Board, the BCB. Today is August 20th, 2025. Today's hearing is being conducted pursuant to
amendments to the open meeting law. That is what allows us to meet virtually. This hearing is being recorded and we posted to the city of Boston's website. Before I review some procedural matters, I will introduce Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce. >> Thank you, Jasmine. Good afternoon. My name is Kathleen Joyce, chair of the
Boston Cannabis Board. Today I'm pleased to be joined by Commissioner Lisa Holmes, Commissioner Jack Hensley, Commissioner John Smith, Commissioner Raone Sodto, and Commissioner Sonel Gandhi. Thank you, Chairwoman Joyce. My name is Jasmine Wyn. I am the Boston Cannabis
Board Manager. We are also joined by Luke Santos, who is our cannabis licensing specialist. While the public is encouraged to attend, there will be no additional public testimony accepted. I will read each item into the record as they appear on the agenda. We will then hear comments from the board members. I
will then ask for a motion if there's any question on the motion and then there will be a vote. Each board member has the ability to grant, grant with conditions, defer, reject without prejudice, which means the applicant can return any time with an application at the same location or reject with
prejudice which means the applicant cannot reapply at the same location for one via. The first item we have the lency is HVB Massachusetts Inc. doing business as Happy Valley. The licensed premises 220 McCullen Highway in East Boston. They have a coll-located
marijuana retailer and medical treatment center. They are requesting to amend their operating hours from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. 7 days a week to 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 7 days a week. And we'll start with comments starting with Cheer Joyce.
>> Uh my only comment is I do believe that this location can support this extension of ours. I don't think it's um I don't think they're what they're asking for is too much. Um I think they have enough traffic there and some of the other businesses in the area are also open
that late. So I have no issues. >> Commissioner Holmes, >> I agree with the chairwoman. >> Commissioner Kingsley. >> Um yeah, I agree. I would just say too um for for me when I consider these things uh the one of the most important
things for me is that um you know the employees of the the applying businesses aren't kind of left in the lurch with all of a sudden significant changes uh to their hours that are much different than what they signed up on. Uh so I do uh really appreciate that in this
instance the the applicant made a concerted effort to include employees in the process and notify it ahead of notify them ahead of time and make sure that they understood how the employees themselves would be impacted by the change in hours and they had sufficient coverage to um from the employees who
are willing to have those adjustment to be able to continue operating. >> Thank you Commissioner Smith. >> Thank you Jasmine. No comments. Commissioner Stole. >> Thank you, Jasmine. Um, yeah, I wanted to echo the uh chairwoman's um uh
comments in in regards to the sort of where it's situated. Um, as a former resident of East Boston, I I'm really well aware of the underutilization of that area and the potential to create activity I think will not only sort of
uh be a boon for the community as far as having that access, but I think it will also help the surrounding businesses in sort of increasing um the appeal to be in the area if they're going to stop in anyways um at the Happy Valley. So, um,
yeah. So, I think it makes sense and, uh, that's it. Thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Gandhi. >> You're muted if you're if you're speaking. >> Um, sorry, uh, Jasmine. Uh, I have no questions. I also agree with Chair
Momento on this issue. Thank you. Uh, Chair Joyce, is there a vote? A motion. You're muted. >> I vote to grant the extension of ours. >> Is there a second? >> Second.
>> All in favor? >> I. >> And none opposed. Change of hours is granted as requested. We'll move to the next item. The applicant is Legal Greens Boston LLC
doing business as Legal Greens. The proposed license premises 571B Washington Street in Dorchester. They're applying for a marijuana retailer license. The proposed hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 7 days a week. This is an equity applicant. Uh Chair George, do you want to start with
comments? >> Uh thank you, Jasmine. I was happy to see this application because this was a previously um used location for cannabis establishment. Um they also have a they've also been previously approved for courier and
delivery. So this will add to that. I have no other comments. >> Commissioner Holmes. >> Um I I'm also happy to see them to come and do a full retail. um they have a good business record in their first
location and hopefully they can bring a lot more revitalization and foot traffic to that area of Washington Street in Dorchester. >> Michelin, >> thank you Jasmine. Um yeah, I I just really appreciated how much um the the
applicants kind of emphasized the community feedback that they got in the process talking about how you know they had originally had the courier license and they kept hearing from um you know people trying to walk in on the street or people at the community outreach meetings that they had just asking them to turn it into a retail license. So I
really appreciate the their willingness to work with the community on it. >> Michelle Smith, >> thanks Jasmine. I appreciated their proposal overall and no issues with it. Thank you, >> Commissioner Stole.
>> Yeah. Um I also um really appreciated sort of the um thoroughess of the presentation um and given the close p uh timeline between the delivery and the license, I was actually very pleased with the um
thoroughess of their responses for my questions. Um, and I do hope, you know, as we had discussed, I I do hope that they will, um, you know, be an active partner as far as, you know, um, being
aware of of what's happening in the parking lot and also advocating as a partner, uh, as a community partner for whatever, um, you know, supports are needed so that the businesses there can thrive. >> Commissioner Gambi,
>> thank you, Jasine. And I think my fellow commissioners said it all. I do agree with all of them and I appreciated um as well the thoroughess of the presentation and um and and the applicants willingness to really take into account the community's concerns. So I have no
other comments and agree with my commissioners. Thank you. >> Thank you, Chair Joyce. >> Um I vote to grant this application. >> Is there a second? >> Second. All in favor?
>> I. >> All right. And none opposed. The new license for retailer is granted. All right. The following item was deferred at the BCB's May 28th voting
hearing. The applicant is Zenith United LLC. The proposed license premise is 417 to 421 High Park Avenue in Rosendale. The license type is a marijuana retailer. The proposed hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 10:00
a.m. to 8:00 p.m. This is an equity applicant and there is a buffer zone conflict. Chair Joyce, thank you Jasmine. Uh thank you to the applicant for the supplemental materials that were submitted. Um they you could tell there was a lot more thought put into it. Very
helpful to me as I was thinking through the impacts of an application of a establishment of this place. With that being said, I think it is a good location for an establishment. Um, I do think the surrounding businesses and neighborhood can support and um, uplift
a location like this. It's a busy, heavily traveled road. There is parking. Um, and those are my comments. I liked the application. >> Michelle Holmes. >> Um, echoing the chairwoman. I appreciate
the added information. it was very very helpful and they really did put a lot of effort into sending us that extra um information that we asked for. So that's all I thank you for everything you guys did.
>> Commissioner Kinsley, >> thank you Jasmine. Um uh no other comments on mine. I think I agree with what Chairwoman Joyce and Commissioner Holmes said. >> Commissioner, >> thank you Jasmine. Yeah, I appreciate all the effort that they put in today. So, thank you,
>> Commissioner Sto. >> Um, I uh agree with my fellow uh commissioners who've spoken. >> Commissioner, >> thank you, Jasmine. No additional comments. I also agree with my fellow commissioners and chairwoman Joyce.
>> Chair Joyce, >> I vote to approve this application. >> Is there a second? All in favor? >> I. >> All right. And none opposed. Our last item is old and new. The lency
is Mass Greens LLC doing business as Prolific Cannabis. The license premise is 116 Harvard A and Austin. The license type is a marijuana retailer. The request is to amend their operating hours. The current hours are 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. 7 days a week. They're
proposing uh 9:00 a.m. till 1:00 a.m. 7 days a week. Cheer Joyce. >> Uh thank you. Um my comments are that at this location there are other businesses opened later than 9:00 p.m. So I can see why they're looking to extend their
hours. Um my second comment is that I do think they've just opened. um that doesn't prevent them from requesting this extension of hours, but I would be more inclined to approve an extension to 11 p.m. um and not the 1:00 a.m. We just
had another application earlier today which we approved to 11. And I'd like to see these changes and these um extensions to move slowly to make sure we um see that they can succeed and we set them up for um success as far as a
business model. And um and those are my comments. >> Commissioner Holmes. >> Uh ditto. I don't have anything to add. Thank you. >> Commissioner Kinsley. >> Thank you, Jasmine. Um yeah, I think kind of the the same comments I made
about the the Happy Valley one. Um I appreciate from their initial application their willingness to include their employees as part of the overall process and make sure that they had uh buy in there. I think that's the most important first step. Um I think you know I also appreciate after the last meeting their willingness to engage the
uh public officials. Um that's kind of an important part of the overall process. Um and then I would say you know as a a young person who's lived in Brighton Alustin for a few few years now. I'm very familiar with that stretch and I think it definitely can um sustain um later opening hours. But, um, I think
I definitely agree with, uh, Chairwoman Joyce that a more gradual approach, um, and kind of, you know, trying it out and then maybe letting them come back, uh, to extend it further, uh, later on is a good way to approach the the overall extension. >> Commissioner Smith,
>> thank you, Jasmine. No, nothing to add to anything. Commissioner Suttle. >> Yeah, I just want to echo the comments of the of the prior speakers and um also just emphasize um u as Commissioner
Kinsley did in regards to that outreach. I I know I think you know sometimes it can be an afterthought but I think particularly within this structure it is vitally important to have that um have that uh at the very least have their
attention on it um uh because it does affect so many of their constituents, you know, for the better and some might feel like it's for the worse. And so it's it's a um important part of this process. is not necessarily outlined
anywhere, but I think a responsible and you know uh savvy business should absolutely be engaging with their local officials in order to make sure that um the leaders um who are elected to office um to represent their community are
informed and aware so that they can then um you know be able to be supportive or you know or offer suggestions. But at least then you have a relationship that you can build upon. So, uh, just wanted to thank them for that uh, outreach and,
um, no other comments. >> Thank you, Commissioner Gandhi. >> No additional comments. Thank you, Jasmine. >> Chair Joyce, >> I vote to approve an extension of hours to 11 p.m.
>> Is there a second? Okay. All in favor and none opposed. All right. So, the position is granted to 11 p.m. All right. Those are all the matters
before the board today. Our next hearing will take place on September 17th, 2025 at 1 p.m. Thank you all for attending and enjoy the rest of your day. Thanks everybody.