Third and Final Retail Marijuana Dispensary

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 3, 2022

Contact: Steve Smirti, Director of Communications (ssmirti@medford-ma.gov), 516-606-1524

 

Mayor Lungo-Koehn Signs Host Community Agreement with City’s Third and Final Retail Marijuana Dispensary

 

Victory Gardens approved to set up cannabis dispensary and renovate existing Veterans of Foreign Wars facility at 114 Mystic Avenue.

 

As part of community benefits, Victory Gardens will donate $50,000 annually to community organizations servicing Medford’s Veterans.

 

Only social equity candidate in the top 5 ranking

 

 

(MEDFORD) – The City of Medford has officially signed a Host Community Agreement with its third marijuana dispensary company. Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn recently signed a formal agreement with Victory Gardens for a retail cannabis dispensary to be located at 114 Mystic Avenue. The site, currently home to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) facility, will be fully renovated and house both the retail shop and a separate space for the City’s veterans. The Host Community Agreement covers a five-year period. Victory Gardens now joins recreational businesses Theory Wellness and Sanctuary Medicinals as the third retail marijuana company to enter into a Host Community Agreement with the City. In mid-July Mayor Lungo-Koehn signed a host community agreement with the City’s first cannabis cultivation company, Mystic Cultivate.

 

Victory Gardens will need to obtain Special Permit approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals before they can begin operation. They are also subject to approval from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.

 

As with the prior agreements with Theory Wellness and Sanctuary Medicinals, the leadership at Victory Gardens made it a priority to hire Medford residents whenever possible and has agreed to Mayor Lungo-Koehn’s requirement that at least 50 percent of its employees will be women, at least 35 percent of employees will be of diverse backgrounds, and at least 5 percent of employees will be military veterans (to the best of their abilities). Priority will also be given to local vendors whenever possible for resources and materials.

 

As part of the Host Community Agreement, Victory Gardens has agreed to support Medford’s veterans’ organizations with annual donations of $50 thousand to groups that support veteran’s needs and will invest in renovating the current VFW facility. The City will also be collecting 3 percent of gross sales on a quarterly basis per the agreement. 

 

“Throughout my time as Mayor and throughout this selection process it has been and will continue to be very important to me that the City identifies and pursues meaningful partnerships with social equity candidates whenever possible,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. “As the only applicant with that designation to rank in the top 5 in this process, Victory Gardens co-owner Tito Jackson is committed to building a strong relationship with our community that promotes inclusion and enhances social equity. Those distinctions, coupled with Mr. Jackson and co-owner Jason Zube’s existing association with the City’s veterans community, which is a bonus, ranked them very high on my list. We all care for and want to ensure our veterans are heard and supported and we have a shared vision for the future of the VFW facility. We will work with Victory Gardens to expand programming and resources for our veteran community through the annual donations they have agreed to make. This is a great company that also aligns with two very important priorities of mine; social equity and supporting our Veterans.”

 

CEO of Victory Gardens, Tito Jackson, echoed similar sentiments sharing, “From the first conversations I had with the Mayor, it was clear that her number one priority was investing and caring for the future of Medford veterans. I’m glad that from this partnership, we will be able to work with Mayor Lungo-Koehn and her team to create a space that will serve the City’s veterans and make annual investments in expanding programs and funding resources for them. Medford has a diverse talent pool and the Mayor recognized the value in partnering with a social equity company that reflects the values of the community.”

 

Quartermaster of the Medford VFW, Earl Ercoline said: “Thanks to this agreement that Mayor Lungo-Koehn negotiated, we’ll be able to restore and revitalize the VFW facility, expand our membership numbers, and create more opportunities, programs and resources for Medford veterans. This is a truly landmark moment for the men and women in uniform and I’m thrilled that they are being prioritized by the City.”

 

Medford voters approved recreational marijuana dispensaries (with regulations) in a citywide election in November 2016. The Medford City Council began working on an ordinance in 2016 and approved zoning amendments to support the siting of these dispensaries, in September 2020, with a vote to adopt a Cannabis Advisory Committee in November 2020. A Committee was convened and began its process in February 2021 with final recommendations submitted in Fall 2021. The Mayor signed the first retail marijuana CHA in early March, and the second in late June, and the first cultivation HCA in July.

 

Under City Ordinance, the Mayor may negotiate up to three Host Community Agreements for retail marijuana dispensaries.

 

MARIJUANA DISPENSARY / CANNABIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FACTS:

Timeline of selection and approval process:

• November 2012: Medical marijuana approved in MA by voters
• December 2015: City of Medford administration presented a draft medical marijuana ordinance to City Council
• November 2016: Recreational Marijuana legalized (with regulations) in MA by voters, and an amendment sent to the Medford City Council. Medford voters supported Question 4 with 56% voting in support of legalizing marijuana, with regulations.
• July 2020: Proposed Zoning Amendment submitted for review to the Medford Community Development Board
• September 2020: Final Zoning Amendment adopted by City Council
• November 17, 2020: Cannabis Advisory Committee ordinance adopted by City Council
• February 11, 2021: Cannabis Advisory Committee holds first meeting
• March 5, 2021: Cannabis Advisory Committee released application requirements and scoring criteria for the marijuana retail license.
• April 30, 2021: Applications received by the Office of Planning, Development, and Sustainability from 10 applicants.
• May 20, 2021: 10 applications presented to, subsequently approved by CAC following staff review.
• July 2021: Community outreach meetings held by applicants for proposed retail establishments
• October 13, 2021: Cannabis Advisory Committee voted on final rankings for all nine final applicants
• October/November 2021: Final rankings and information presented to the Mayor
• The Mayor signs the first retail HCA in March 2022.
• The Mayor signs the second retail HCA June 2022.
• The Mayor signs the first cultivation HCA in mid-July 2022
• The Mayor signs the third retail HCA in early August 2022.

HOST COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS

• Per City ordinance, recreational marijuana establishments are only allowed in districts zoned as “Commercial II” or “Industrial.”
• Per City ordinance, recreational marijuana establishments may not be located within 500 linear feet of any K-12 school.
• It is the Mayor’s discretion to accept rankings and to negotiate Host Community Agreements. Per City ordinance, up to three licenses may be granted.
   

 

 

TAX REVENUE

Per state regulations, the City has the option to establish a 3% excise tax on retail sales from each permitted establishment. In addition, the City may seek up to an additional 3% of gross retail sales as a Community Impact Fee through the Host Community Agreement. The Community Impact Fee, limited to a term of 5 years, is intended to mitigate any impacts from retail establishments. (For example, a community may consider using the Community Impact Fee revenue to offset permitting and inspection costs or to address roadway conditions as a result of increased traffic to the area.)

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