Three years after Haverhill voted to legalize recreational marijuana, the city is one step closer to its first retail shop with Tuesday’s City Council vote to grant Full Harvest Moonz a special permit to do business at 95 Plaistow Road.
Following a seven-month application process, Weymouth-based CEO Janet Kupris appeared before the City Council Tuesday to tie up loose ends related to overflow parking and appointment scheduling before the Council voted 7-1 to approve her location. Councilor Joseph J. Bevilacqua cast the lone ‘no’ vote, while Michael S. McGonagle was absent from the meeting. McGonagle has thus far abstained from casting marijuana-related votes, as he is the landlord of an Amesbury Road building being eyed by the Mellow Fellows as a possible marijuana shop.
Full Harvest Moonz attorney Michael Migliori summed up his client’s desire to do business in what he called an “extremely suitable” location on the New Hampshire border.
“I believe this location is extremely suitable. It’s in an ideal retail setting with no residential issues,” Migliori said.
According to Kupris, Full Harvest Moonz plans to schedule 12 appointments per hour in an effort to mitigate traffic-related concerns in the already-congested shopping district. They’ve also scrapped plans to shuttle patrons from an off-site location on Amesbury Road and instead intend to utilize the current parking options adjacent to their shop.
To directly address previously raised Council concerns, Kupris and staff—including head of security Michael Allen—vowed to funnel money into Haverhill Public Schools substance abuse-related surveys that were at-once unavailable due to financial constraints. Kupris told WHAV after Tuesday’s hearing she also looks forward to working with Haverhill’s other marijuana retail shop owners to collaborate on outreach efforts and educational programs.
As WHAV previously reported, Kupris is one of four retailers interested in bringing marijuana sales to Haverhill. Caroline Pineau is pursuing Stem downtown, while Rob DiFazio plans to open CNA Stores on River Street. Christopher Edwards of Salem-based Alternative Therapies Group, has expressed interest in a possible location at 399 Amesbury Road he plans to call Haverwell Market. Mellow Fellows hopes to open at 330 Amesbury Road.
Pineau’s special permit hearing is June 18, while the Council will hear DiFazio’s CNA plan on July 9.