Okay, just gonna let the waiting room clear. As a reminder, please make sure you are muted as you enter. >> Good afternoon. This is a hearing before the Boston Canvas Board. Today is December 17th, 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 will be posted to the city of Boston's website. Before I review some procedural matters, I will introduce Kathleen or sorry, Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce.
>> Thank you, Luke. My name is Kathleen Joyce. I'm chair of the Boston Cannabis Board. Today, I'm also pleased to be joined by Commissioner Lisa Holmes, Jack Kensaw, Commiss I'm sorry, Commissioner Jack Kensaw, Commissioner John Smith, and Commissioner Ramon Sodto.
Thank you, Chairwoman Joyce. My name is Luke Staint House and I am the Boston Cannabis Board Licensing Specialist. While the public is encouraged to attend, there will be no additional public testimony accepted. I will read each item into 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 if there are any questions to 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 year. Okay, for the first item, the license is EVG Farms LLC, DBA Firehouse. The license premise is 883 Hide Park AB in Hide Park. The
license type is a marijuana retailer license and the their current hours are 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 7 days a week and their proposed hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. 7 days a week. Right. We will move to comments from the board starting with Chairwoman Joyce.
>> Uh thank you. I know we've been seeing a lot of these uh requests for um extension of ours. Um I don't think there'll be a lot of impacts with this request. So, for that reason, my vote would be to approve.
>> You, uh, Commissioner Kensler. >> Um, yeah, I agree. I think, um, the area that this is located makes a lot of sense. There's a lot of other businesses that are already open late, so I can't see any adverse impacts from it. >> Yeah. Thank you. Uh, Commissioner
Holmes, >> uh, I I agree. Um, I think it will do this, uh, area some justice. 700 p.m. with all the other businesses around is a little too early, so they can be a little bit more competitive with the 1000 p.m.
>> Uh, Commissioner Smith, >> thank you, Luke. I vote to approve. >> Okay. Uh, Chairwoman Joyce, is there a motion? >> Uh, sorry. >> Oh, sorry. Sorry. Yeah, sorry. Commissioner Sodto, >> no, no problem. Yeah, just as a resident High Park, I wanted just to point out
that I do uh strongly um agree with my fellow um commissioners. Also, just adding to the fact that since it is one of the only ones in a sort of uh dispensary desert kind of spot, it is
extremely I think helpful for folks um from all sides of the neighborhood as well as Rosendell to be able to have that um access. So, um for that reason, I'm in favor. Thank you, Luke. >> Oh, thank you. Sorry about that. Um, Chairman Joyce, is there a motion? >> I make a motion to approve the extension
of hours. >> Is there a second? Okay, so the All right, the request is approved. We still got a vote, Luke. >> Oh, sorry. >> All in favor? Y. >> Oh, all in favor.
Right. That is okay. And Raone raised his hand. So that is all in favor. Okay. All right. Uh moving on to our second item. The license e is union twist in comp. The license premise is 257 to 259
Cambridge Street, Alustin. The license type is a marijuana retailer license. They are requesting to add the DBA Duchess Cannabis. And they are also amending their current operating hours from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 7 days a week to 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday to
Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday. Okay, we will move to comments from the board starting with Chairwoman Joyce. >> Thanks, Luke. My only comment is I do believe this neighborhood can support this extension of ours. Um there's other businesses in the area that are opened
even later. Um those are my comments. Okay. Uh, Commissioner Kendler. >> Um, yeah, I agree. Um, I mentioned in the hearing last week that I live right around the corner from this one. So, I think um, you know, I know the neighborhood well. I think it definitely can um, support it. I think the the one
question I had going in was the need for um, opening an hour earlier, but um, I think it's uh, not wouldn't have a huge impact. And if it means that there's more scheduled hours that could be given to the workers, then I'm all for it.
Okay. Uh, Commissioner Holmes. >> Um, I agree with my fellow commissioners. >> Commissioner Sodto. >> Uh, yes. I I also agree. >> Yeah. And, uh, Commissioner Smith. >> Thank you, Luke. Can I agree with the
fellow commissioners? Thank you. >> Okay. Uh, Chairwoman Joyce, is there a motion? >> I make a motion to approve the request for an extension of ours. >> Okay. Is there a second? Second. >> Oh, sorry. >> Okay. All in favor
and none none opposed. Okay. >> Okay. >> All right. We'll move on to our third item. The license e is Z Boutique LLC. The license premise is 1526 to 1530 Doorchester A in Dorchester. And the
license type is a marijuana retailer license. And the request is to change the beneficial interest. The Lency seeks approval from the BCB to redistribute the ownership interest in its entity. >> Okay, we'll move on to comments from the board starting with Chairwoman Joyce.
>> Um, I see this as an administrative cleanup. Um, I really have no issues with it. >> Okay. Uh, Commissioner Kenza. >> Yeah, I'm on the same page. >> Commissioner Holmes.
>> Uh, Commissioner Soda. >> Yep. No, no, nothing further. >> And uh Commissioner Smith approved. >> Okay. Uh Chairman Joyce, is there a motion? >> I make a motion to approve the requested change.
>> Right. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. All in favor? And none opposed? So, the request is granted. Okay. And we're going to move on to old
and new business. The following item was deferred at the BCB's October 22nd, 2025 voting hearing to allow for the applicant to complete the community process. The applicant is Josh's Onetop LLC. The proposed license premise is 323A Washington Street in Dorchester.
The license type is a marijuana retailer license. The proposed hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. 7 days a week. And this is an equity applicant. Date of initial application was March 10th, 2025. They filed with inspectional services department on April 3rd, 2025
and they held their community meeting on July 23rd, 2025. There is a buffer zone conflict with another marijuana establishment. >> Right. With that, we will move on to comments starting with the comments from the board starting with Chairwoman Joyce. >> Thanks, Luke. Um,
I'll just share some of my comments. I've been taking notes as we've received um letters in support and opposition for this application. Um this is an equity business owner. He is already an established business owner. Um already
sells products to um you know that need to be sold to people over 18. This is a really tiny space. It's 400 square ft. There's pros and cons of that. Some of the cons are that will he be able to meet all of the stringent expectations
or rules and regulations of our board and the CCC? Um I know he's working with a consultant to help them navigate that process, but again on the other side it's only 400 square ft. Um and it's adding a very small amount of
product to his already established business. Um there is a buffer zone. I would be looking at this through a different lens if this was a multi-state operator going into a 2,000 foot space in this neighborhood. Um, and I I think he spoke from the heart about how this
is his opportunity to try to survive these days um by diversifying his product. Um, so we did receive some um opposition from community groups. Some of them were
split in their vote. we did receive a lot of support and the support was very local and the support was about him as a business owner and about this location and um so for the those reasons I would not be opposed to this at this point.
>> Thank you. Uh Commissioner Kinsla. >> Yeah, I agree. I think um definitely the um the the track record that the owner has and the ties to the community um have to play um a big role in how we consider proposals like this. I think also it's um you know an interesting
model to me. So I think it's um you know innovative and a creative solution to try to combine these two things and I think it's um you know an interesting interesting experiment to just like see how how something like this could work. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh, Commissioner uh uh
sorry, Commissioner Holmes. >> Okay. Um, my my biggest concern here along with the size is the fact that you have to how do we the fact that you have to
go through the bodega to get to his business? That that's my only concern is how how good are we going to be able to entail that as Commissioner Kinsley has said this is this is like a experiment in in this
size that that's my concern the fact that you have to go through the bodega to get to him. Um, and also I didn't hear anything about the um, unless I missed it, which I could have, the um,
the community meeting with Councelor Warel and the Four Corners Neighborhood Association. Um, I don't know if I missed it. Was it sent in? Um, I just heard the chairwoman say that there was um, support. So, I I could have missed
that. they which there's a couple community groups um I know the Harvard Washington Norwell Norwell neighborhood association um their vote was
they received 12 responses um seven nos, two abstains, and three yeses. So they voted not to support it. Wasn't unanimous. It was um 7 to three
with two abstensions. >> And did we get anything from council war? >> Matt Matt is on, right? >> I I missed what you said, Commissioner Smith. >> Matt Martinelli is on from council war's office. >> Oh, he's on. Oh, okay. All right.
>> I don't know if we can hear him, but I >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. But I did speak to him. >> Okay. Well, you know, like I said, those are my concerns. I I I'm willing to give them a chance to
try. My like I said, my concern is the walking through the bodega and just to definitely ensure that they have the right type of security there to ensure that the right client gets to the back where the dispensary is going to be.
So, I'm voting yes. Okay. Uh, Commissioner Sodto, >> thank you, Luke. And I think I I had similar questions or, you know, kind of um curiosity about sort of how it would
work. And I know, you know, he he walked us through it um well enough. And I, you know, have to agree with um Commissioner Canelon in regards to the uh innovation that this could present. So, in a way,
it's like there's an opportunity to do something different here and maybe this is a pathway um that would, you know, be be something beneficial down the road. um for actually on a number of different levels uh with with some of the other
news that we're hearing out of the the cannabis, you know, state commission um that will potentially have impacts, you know, in terms of how cannabis is used in Boston. And so I think the the the pressure I guess will be on his
shoulders in a way so that um you know if this works out well as he intends and and I think we all hope that it would you know then it could potentially serve as a positive um example of how to do this in a in a much smaller space than I
think we're accustomed to. Um but if it doesn't work then it's a clarion call for others who are looking at similar converting similar spaces to say you better have your um tees crossed and eyes dotted. So um yeah. So I I'm I'm
leaning towards uh uh voting uh in favor uh with the knowledge that um this is new and innovative and like any license that gets approved might not work. Um but but but that's you know I I think
that's why the folks within the business community and the individuals themselves take that risk um because they believe in themselves. They believe in the mission the the the the you know the what they're trying to do. So I think it's um I think I'd be in in approval
and and and wish them luck and hope that they can set a positive um path for other similar type of uh spaces. Thanks Luke. Thank you. Uh, Commissioner Smith. >> Thanks, Luke. You know, as Commissioner Holmes said, it may or may not be
disruptive. It's right up the street, literally from where I live, so I know the area well. Um, yeah, it's a different model, so I would vote for giving them a chance. Yep. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh, Chairwoman Joyce, is there a
motion? >> I make a motion to approve this application. Do is there a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Okay. And none opposed. So the
application is granted. Right. Uh lastly, we have an update from the chair regarding the Boston cannabis retail license saturation analysis. Chairman Joyce, any comments? Yes, actually this is um a good time to
talk about our saturation study. I think it's something that we as a board are constantly thinking about. We want to see these business owners succeed. I think we're in a different place than we were when this board was first put together and it causes us a lot of
concern. We approached these applications with caution and we have um we have the saturation study that we requested some time ago. So my update is that we have received the saturation study and I think as individual
commissioners we've identified areas where there's additional clarification and data that would be more helpful specifically. Um, I I don't think all the dynamics of downtown were taken into consideration, including tourism,
commuter impacts, cost differences across neighborhoods and equity considerations. I think this work is ongoing and I anticipate that we'll return soon with an updated analysis from the from the people who we commission the study from. um and we'll
discuss that um analysis on the record when we receive those updates. So my plan is to go back to them and share our um the areas in which we think could be fleshed out a little bit more and ask them to come back and update their study
for us. >> Okay. Thank you, Chairwoman Joyce. Um those are all the matters before the board today. Our next hearing will take place on January 21st, 2026 at 1 p.m. Thank you all for attending and enjoy the rest of your day. >> Merry Christmas everybody.
>> Merry Christmas everybody. >> Happy holidays. >> Yeah. Thank you, Luke.