PALMER – Dispensaries – or the proposal of such establishments – seem to be popping up all over Massachusetts, and Palmer is no exception.

On the agenda for the Dec. 5 Planning Board meeting were three public hearings on cannabis establishments looking for a special permit and site plan approval.

The first hearing was for Kali Cannabis. Kali Cannabis is looking to demolish the existing single-family residence at 405 Shearer St. and construct a 2,800 square foot cannabis retail sale establishment. The existing location is zoned for cannabis use.

Kali Cannabis Owner and CEO Suzanne Melanson shared a slideshow presentation with the board. She explained, “[Our] mission is to create a responsible, compliant, professional cannabis business. Kali Cannabis will be a friendly, educated and trusted establishment.”

The company’s core values include culture and compliance, trust and integrity, quality products, and training and education.

Melanson, who has eight years of experience in the cannabis industry, said she became involved after her daughter needed a major back surgery and did not want her on opioids. “I made the transition from teaching over to cannabis,” she said.

Alongside Melanson is Owner and President Evans Kilnovich. She noted that Kilnovich has experience in real estate and other business practices.

Planning for the space itself, Melanson said the team has been “very safety minded” with developing floor plans for deliveries, checking identifications and even separating entrances and exits, which the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) seems to prefer, she shared.

On Dec. 6, the day after the Planning Board hearing, Kali Cannabis hosted a community outreach meeting. By the end of December, Melanson said they should be applying to the CCC. In May/June 2023, Kali Cannabis is hoping to receive its final license so that by June/July 2023, they can operationalize.
Based on the plans and evaluations that Kali Cannabis provided, Planning Board Chair Michael Marciniec noted that all questions were answered. “Everyone has been very responsive,” he said.

Several motions were made, seconded and approved by the board on waivers, stormwater, site plan and special permit. Planning Board members thanked Kali Cannabis for “outstanding cooperation” throughout the process.

Green Gold Group

Green Gold Group, a cannabis company in Massachusetts, has plans to expand their business into Palmer with a proposed medical and adult-use retail establishment at 1400 Thorndike St.

James McMahon, attorney for the Green Gold Group, explained that the company is vertically integrated with a 153,000-square-foot facility in North Brookfield that houses the grow, processing, packaging, labs, kitchens, distributions and more. It does everything but retail.

Green Gold’s medical and adult-use retail occurs in Charlton. The Palmer establishment would be the third and final location.

McMahon said Green Gold “has been looking in Palmer for a while,” and is happy to have found a space on the corner of Thorndike and Lawrence Street. Currently, the location is an optician’s office.
McMahon informed the board that nothing is going to change externally, aside from spruced up landscaping and a fresh coat of paint. He noted that it will remain “99.9 percent of what it is now.”

He continued, “That’s what attracted us to the location.” The lack of renovation allows Green Gold to “get going as fast as possible,” said McMahon.

He went on to say that they plan on adding an Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliant ramp along with two handicapped parking spaces, instead of only one that is required. McMahon said this will make the location more accessible for medical patients.

On the interior, minimal changes are needed aside from knocking down some walls to create a more open floor plan.

McMahon noted that the building has three floors. The top floor will be used for office space, the main floor is for cannabis operations and the basement will be for non-cannabis storage.

Currently, Green Gold is working on a host community agreement with Town Manager Ryan McNutt’s office. McMahon said they submitted a proposal to the CCC and are looking to obtain a provisional license in January.

Like the Charlton location, Palmer’s hours of operation would be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. However, Marciniec noted that 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. is “peak travel hours” and this location is right off the Massachusetts Turnpike.

In Charlton, McMahon said Green Gold has about 500 daily customers. If Palmer were to receive the same amount, VHB Managing Director John Furman suggested that an additional traffic analysis be done.

Furman made several recommendations for Green Gold and informed McMahon that more information is required before the board can grant approval. This includes a landscaping plan, compliance for the ADA ramp, stormwater management, equipment being used for odor control and so on.

To provide Green Gold with appropriate time to obtain those answers, the public hearing was continued until Jan. 23, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

111b Breckenridge St.

For the fourth time, the public hearing for a cannabis establishment at 111b Breckenridge St. was continued until Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.

The applicant, Oraka Wellington, is looking to renovate a portion of the existing building and construct a 3,000 square foot marijuana cultivation facility.