ITEM FILE PHOTO
Lynn City Hall
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNN — Nothing was decided on potential sites for medical marijuana dispensaries in the city Tuesday night.
The Planning Board and Ordinance and Rules Committee tabled the discussion, while the City Council continued its hearing until May 24.
City Council Vice-President Darren Cyr said the council must gather more information before making a decision.
Officials are considering amending Lynn’s zoning bylaws that would clear the way for the controversial clinics.
If approved by City Hall, the treatment center district would include portions of 453-543 Lynnway, across from the ocean, two sites on Commercial Street and all properties on Route 107 from the Belden Bly Bridge to the intersection of Western and Murphy avenues.
City Councilor Peter Capano, whose ward includes the proposed district, questioned why the locations were chosen for potential clinics.
“I just don’t know, why not the whole Lynnway?” he said. “Why not the other side of the Lynnway?”
James Lamanna, city attorney, said those interested in operating the facilities want to be near public transportation. He added that most people want to keep the clinics away from the waterfront.
“There was concern that if the city did not take action, someone could go anywhere in the city,” Lamanna said. “Something needed to be in place.”
He said those interested in opening a clinic, with the way the current ordinance is written, could have their application denied, challenge it in court and win. Lamanna said a benefit of the way the amendment is written is that it only allows for two dispensaries.
Capano also questioned if the clinics are mandated to give money to the city. Lamanna said the city would enter into a host agreement with the operators, where Lynn gets up to three percent of the gross profits. The amendment recommends that a portion of the profits go towards public safety.
Lamanna said the measure would allow the clinics to dispense and grow marijuana. But the few people he’s spoken to about opening one have told him that they plan to grow outside of Lynn.
Lisa Wallace, of 12 Neptune St. Court, said she opposes a dispensary in her neighborhood. She is a 15-year recovering addict and the area is not stable enough the handle the clinics.
“Don’t set it up to fail by putting it in an area that already has so much stacked against it,” she said.
Wallace said there are already two methadone clinics nearby and in that low income neighborhood, people often have to decide whether they feed their children that day or if they sell their prescription. She would prefer to see a dispensary on the Boston Street corridor.
David Zeller, whose insurance agency is at 370 Lynnway, said if a facility opens, it would be one of the biggest money makers in the city.
“Let the business decide where it should go, not the politicians,” he said.
When the City Council completes its public hearing, they will have 90 days to make a decision on the zoning change.
“Whatever decision we make, it’s going to have an impact on the city for many years to come,” Cyr said.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at gcawley@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.