Proposed medical marijuana dispensary in Allston set to go to vote
Mayflower Medicinals’ proposal to open a medical marijuana dispensary at 230 Harvard Ave. in Allston will now go before the full City Council for a required vote after a public hearing yesterday.
Councilor Mark Ciommo said he sponsored the committee hearing on Mayflower’s proposal first over Compassionate Organics’ competing proposal for a dispensary at 144 Harvard Ave., because of the latter’s proximity to the Boston Martial Arts Center at 161 Harvard Ave.
An April 8 Boston Public Health Commission letter states that site would violate state Department of Public Health and Boston Board of Health regulations that prohibit dispensaries within 500 feet of a facility where “children commonly congregate.”
Ciommo suggested community support for Compassionate, including from the Allston Civic Association, perhaps “wasn’t based on all of the facts.”
He also said he believes Mayflower’s proposed location in a former bank is
HEALTH CARE
superior to Compassionate’s proposed site.
“In my own dealings with public safety officials, they like the fact that it’s a stand-alone building when they patrol,” he said, noting Mayflower’s proposed site also has a parking lot for deliveries.
Compassionate CEO Geoffrey Reilinger, meanwhile, pointed to the Mayflower site’s proximity to the Chabad Center of Brookline, which he said runs children’s classes for bar and bat mitzvahs and has teen gatherings. Center representatives could not be reached for comment.
But Mayflower CEO John Henderson maintained the site was in compliance, citing a professional survey that found no offending uses within 500 feet.