FYI- All three proposed for Harvard Square, probably not all approved. See the presentations; form your own opinions. From: "Harvard Sq. Neighborhood Association" <info@harvardsquareneighborhood.org> Reply-To: "Harvard Sq. Neighborhood Association" <info@harvardsquareneighborhood.org> Date: Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 7:21 PM To: Ruth Ryals <rryals@comcast.net> Subject: Cannabis in Harvard Square View this email in your browser MEETING ALERT - CANNABIS IN HARVARD SQUARE We Need Your Voice at the Planning Board Meeting, Tuesday, March 16th Dear Neighbors, Cannabis is on its way to Harvard Square. It is arriving in the form of retail stores selling recreational use marijuana both as edible and smokable products. While recognizing the legality and hence the inevitability of this development, we question the size, scale, marketing, and location of these stores. Cambridge residents are welcome and urged to weigh in before regulatory bodies on this topic in coming weeks and months. Specifically, comments regarding a pending application (described below) for the opening of a 3,000 sq. ft retail Cookies-Blue Enterprises marijuana store at the site of the former Staples location at the corner of JFK and Winthrop Streets should be submitted to Cambridge Planning Board by 5 PM Monday, March 15 in advance of their Tuesday, March 16 7:30 PM meeting. Those comments should be emailed to planningboardcomment@cambridgema.gov. Instructions for how to join the Tuesday, March 16 7:30 PM Cambridge Planning Board meeting are at the end of this communication. Background Three applications to locate retail, recreational marijuana stores in Harvard Square have been presented since the summer of 2020. The first applicant, Charles River Remedies, LLC, located at 31 Church Street, the site of a former Starbucks was approved for opening in August of 2020. Charles River Remedies is designated as an Economic Empowerment enterprise, defined as majority owned by minority citizens of Cambridge. HSNA did not oppose this application and supports the opening of this store. Two additional retail marijuana stores, also designated as Economic Empowerment applicants, have been proposed adjacent to Winthrop Park, near the corner of JFK and Winthrop Streets in the heart of Harvard Square. About Cookies - Blue Enterprises On August 27, 2020, Cookies and Blue Enterprises, convened a virtual Community Outreach meeting to announce their plan to locate a retail cannabis store at 57 JFK Street in a 3,000 square location formerly housing the Staples office supply store. The views of the HSNA in opposition to this Cookies-Blue Enterprises initiative were first summarized and made public in a September 24, 2020 coalition letter entitled An Open Letter to City Officials and the Cambridge Community Regarding a Proposed Recreational Cannabis Shop at 57 JFK Street co-signed by HSNA, the Harvard Square Business Association, the Winthrop Park Trust, the Winthrop-Eliot Condominium Trust and the Charles Hotel. A detailed, updated HSNA assessment of this project can be found at this link. HSNA opposes the Cookies-Blue Enterprises application on account of its massive size, scale, potentially severe traffic problems, impact on pedestrians, marketing to youth and its location immediately adjacent to Winthrop Park, a small (15,000 Square Foot), historic public park used by young families and the general public. At a public meeting of the Harvard Square Advisory Committee on March 2, the Cookies-Blue Enterprises group estimated their store would attract a 350-person daily customer count. An August 29, 2019 Boston Globe story about the New England Treatment Access (NETA) a similarly scaled retail marijuana store located in the Washington Square neighborhood of Brookline reported a daily customer count five months after opening of 2,500 per day. We believe the Cookies-Blue Enterprises application significantly underestimates their likely customer base. We estimate their customer base to be closer to 1,500 customers per day many of whom would be arriving by car from I-90, I-93 and elsewhere in the region. We further believe that a percentage of those customers would use Winthrop Park as a “landing spot” to consume or smoke their marijuana products thereby overwhelming that public park. Reports of how Cookies brand stores in other cities have experienced neighborhood problems such as trash, double parking, long lines, and noise are easy to access through internet searches. Photo Credits: Public sources About Western Front, LLC On February 24, 2021, a group led by former Cambridge City Councilor Dennis Benzan and minority entrepreneur Marvin Gilmore presented Community Outreach information related to their plan to locate a smaller footprint (1,400 sq. ft) retail marijuana store at 98 Winthrop Street. This location is the site of the former Healthy Pharms Medical Marijuana Dispensary, also adjacent to Winthrop Park, that closed in 2018. Due to technical difficulties with their Zoom presentation, the Western Front, LLC Community Outreach presentation will be repeated later in March or early April prior to their full submission to the Cambridge Planning Board. The HSNA has yet to receive sufficient documentation to formulate a response to this application. Winthrop Park is for Families Photo Credit: Winthrop Park Trust Community Participation HSNA will keep our membership informed of developments with retail marijuana projects taking place in Harvard Square. For those interested in the full file of materials submitted by Cookies-Blue Enterprises to the Planning Board, they can be accessed at this link. We urge you to investigate the facts, to attend relevant meetings and to communicate directly to the Cambridge Planning Board and to your elected representatives regarding your point of view. Written Comments - Regarding Cookies-Blue Enterprises must be submitted to Cambridge Planning Board by 5 PM Monday, March 15 in advance of their Tuesday, March 16 7:30 PM meeting. Those comments should be emailed to planningboardcomment@cambridgema.gov. Zoom Access -Cambridge Planning Board - 7:30 PM March 16 Register for Zoom Webinar to participate in real time (before or during the meeting): https://cambridgema.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gFMo2O0VR9ysy7WUCGf-Og Check your e-mail (including spam/junk folder) for confirmation. If you do not have a computer or e-mail address, attend via phone: Dial: 312-626-6799 or 929-436-2866 or 301-715-8592 or 346-248-7799 or 669-900-6833 or 253-215-8782 Webinar ID: 833 4878 1926 Review Information about Remote Planning Board Meetings: www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/zoninganddevelopment/planningboard/remoteplanningboardmeetings If you have questions about remote meetings, please call Cambridge Community Development Department staff person Swaathi Joseph at 617-349-4668. Give Feedback and Sign up to Speak Here HSNA Listserv In addition to our occasional newsletters, wye added a HSNA specific email listserv that each of us can contribute to with information on the Harvard Square area and the city as a whole. Join the conversation! For regular email updates and info please join our public Google group: harvardsquareneighborhood.org here (you need to sign in first in a Google account). Once signed up, your post will go to discuss@harvardsquareneighborhood.org. All email updates include an unsubscribe link. Try it out! Are You A Member Yet? Please join us. Membership dues start at $40, and you can pay what you can. Click on the link below to join. Harvard Square Neighborhood Association Donate / Join HSBA Photo Credit: Chris Mackin Copyright © 2021 Harvard Square Neighborhood Association, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. 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