PERMITS | FROM PAGE 1 Page 2 as to whether Bostica LLC obtains an S-2 permit from the town. Selectmen really can’t do anything, he said, pending the approval by the state Attorney General’s Offi ce of a warrant article passed by this year’s Annual Town Meeting THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022 to allow for marijuana establishments in town. Once the town receives clearance from the state that the warrant article is constitutional, then selectmen can proceed with a yet-to-be-determined process for selecting companies that can sell marijuana products in town. Cogliano described it as “kind of like a bidding thing,” where companies would submit their applications, and selectmen would weigh the pros and cons of each application, picking the company with a plan that best fi ts Saugus. Selectmen would schedule public hearings on each of the proposals submitted to the town and then make a decision on which companies would benefi t the Town of Saugus more, according to Cogliano, who said he was impressed with Bostica’s presentation last week. “Had you not been at Town Meeting, I don’t think we’d be here tonight,” Cogliano told Jonathan Capano, an attorney and Saugus resident who has been working with the cannabis industry since 2017. “Your presentation is going to set the bar high for anyone else who applies,” Cogliano said. “We’ve got a long way to go,” Cogliano said, stressing that Saugus is really in the beginning stages of the process to become a host community for marijuana retail business. Capano, who is chief compliance officer for Bostica, attended the May 23 Town Meeting session at the request of Cogliano to address Town Meeting members about the lucrative benefi ts reaped by communities that have accepted the sale of recreational marijuana. Town Meeting voted 33-13 in favor of the article initiated by Cogliano to allow for marijuana establishments in town. The following conditions apply for marijuana establishments within the Business Highway Sustainable Development Zoning District (BHSD). The amended version of the approved regulations states that marijuana establishments: • May not be located within 1,000 feet of a preexisting public or private school providing education in kindergarten or any grades 1 through 12. The buff er zone distance shall be measured along the shortest publicly accessible pedestrian travel path from the Marijuana Establishment entrance to the school entrance. • May not be located within 1,000 feet of a park or playground. The buff er zone distance shall be measured along the shortest publicly accessible pedestrian travel path from the Marijuana Establishment entrance to the park or playground. • May not be located within 1,000 feet of each other. • May not be located in buildings that contain any residential units, including transitional housing, such as hotels, motels and dormitories. Pot Presentation by Bostica Lynn-based marijuana manufacturer briefs selectmen on what it would be like if they open a Route 1 shop By Mark E. Vogler B oard of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano was apologetic as he talked to his colleagues last week (June 30) during a remote meeting with representatives of an area company that wants to open up a marijuana retail shop on Route 1 in Saugus. “This is as green to me as it is to the rest of the board,” Cogliano said as he moderated his fi rst “virtual outreach meeting” with a company that hopes to locate here. “This is the beginning of a long proceeding,” Cogliano said. Only seven people joined Cogliano during the remote proceeding, in which Bostica LLC introduced itself to Saugus, laid out its plans and offered to answer any questions to inquiring residents. Nobody showed up except four selectmen, this reporter and Bostica representatives. Jonathan Capano, chief compliance officer for the Lynn-based Bostica, said the meeting satisfi ed an applicant’s requirement of the Cannabis Control Commission. But he added that the company would be glad to hold future meetings so Saugus residents can learn more about their company. “We have to speak to all of the abutters within 300 feet” (of the proposed location at 44 Broadway, Unit A, near Oye’s Chinese Restaurant). Selectmen said they didn’t feel comfortable asking questions about Bostica, given the situation that no members from the public attended the session. “This is our fi rst step forward,” Capano told selectmen. “This is a private business hosting a community meeting,” he said. At that point, Selectman Jeffrey Cicolini told Capano, “Unfortunately, it’s not a community meeting.” “There won’t be a dialogue by anybody other than the Board of Selectmen,” he said. BOSTICA | SEE PAGE 10
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