The NETA building in Brookline Village prepares to welcome its customers on Thursday, December 5 2019
Matteo Venieri
venam@bu.edu
BROOKLINE, Mass. – A Brookline special town meeting rejected a proposal to make marijuana shops in the area limit opening hours to appointment only. At the end of a long night of debate, the results of the voting showed that the town residents were almost split in half on the motion. In fact, 116 people voted against it, 106 in favor and 3 abstained.
On a separate vote, the town meeting members voted to restrict by 23% New England Treatment Access’s hours of operation. NETA, the first recreational marijuana shop in the Greater Boston area, agreed to the terms. From December 1, it is now open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. For the third and final warrant article, a halt on new marijuana businesses, the voters decided to refer the matter to the licensing review committee.
Overall, the result was a victory for the pot shop. NETA president Amanda Rositano called the night a success for the company. “I’m incredibly pleased that the town recognized that the appointment-only model would jeopardize privacy and reduce access for many customers who want a legal and safe purchase,” she said.
NETA, which is located in Brookline Village inside a historic bank building, was the target of a series of complaints since it started selling marijuana products for adult use in March. The neighbors lamented problems associated with the sudden influx of customers, 2,500 of whom reportedly visit the shop every day. Noise, litter, illegally parked cars, public consumption and public urination are some of the issues allegedly related to the presence of the customers.
Sean Lynn-Jones, former chair of the advisory committee, assisted the shop’s representatives and Brookline neighbors in drafting the bylaws that enabled the pot shop to open. However, he admitted that some things didn’t go as expected and deemed the adjustments proposed necessary.
“It was wishful thinking to think [NETA] would be just like a liquor store,” he said. “Its sales volume and the kinds of customers that attracts are different. We didn’t know it would turn out that way. We had better expectations, but as it’s turned out, the customers’ behavior is having an impact on the sheer volume on Brookline Village. … We have to look at the quality of life here in Brookline and keep it a great place to live in.”
Brookline resident Jane Gilman echoed the same sentiments. “NETA is a guest in our community and we know they don’t want to be regulated, but this is our town and we get to set the standards,” she said.
State data show that pot shop customers spend an average of $45 during each visit and the 3% of the total sales is redistributed to the residents thanks to the community impact fee. Gilman expressed her concern that the prospect of a large tax revenue generated by NETA might blind her neighbors, whom she warned against the company’s “greed and arrogance” by using a colorful metaphor. “[NETA] is a golden goose,” said Gilman. “But I think this golden goose is pooping on us.”
On the other hand, some Brookline residents shared a different viewpoint on the matter. Ed LeClair believed that the issues denounced had been blown out of proportion. “I have been monitoring that area recently, including at peak times,” he said. “I just don’t see the parking problems that have been described.”
In addition, Caitlin Studdard suspected that some of her neighbors’ complaints had a hidden agenda. In her opinion, such testimonies had the goal of obstructing the rights guaranteed by the legalization of recreational marijuana that Massachusetts voted into law in 2016. “This crusade was prior to NETA’s recreational opening and therefore was not influenced by any of the outcomes from its opening,” said the Brookline resident.
After two and a half hours of discussion, Rositano left the auditorium happy with the outcome of the voting. She expressed her hope to keep working together with the community to solve issues and build positive relationships with the neighbors.
From her viewpoint, the marijuana industry is a reality that will continue to grow in the near future, in the Greater Boston and beyond. “The industry will continue to take shape. There will be innovations and change, such as delivery service, social consumption sites and online shops. The market will continue to mature, it’s inevitable.”
Matteo Venieri's blog 