The week ahead: City Council will revisit long-deliberated dispensary special permit hearing

Update (Nov. 12): This article has been updated to reflect the fact that the Disability Services Commission meeting rescheduled its Nov. 7 meeting to Nov. 14 due to technical difficulties.

City Council will take up a public hearing this week for Middlesex Integrative Medicine, a planned marijuana dispensary at 305 Second Ave.

MIM received a special permit from City Council in 2019, but returned before the council earlier this year to modify the permit, requesting a smaller building footprint. It has also notified the committee it intends to operate a recreational dispensary only and does not intend to continue with the medical marijuana dispensary at the location requested in the original permit.

The council’s Ordinances and Rules Committee has raised concerns about litigation surrounding the company’s location in Leominster and ultimately has expressed skepticism over whether the company will be able to obtain its building permit before its special permit expires on Dec. 12. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a permit on a cliff like this, ever, in my nine years in this room,” said Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris at the committee’s meeting last week.

MIM did not submit a prospective timeline for the rest of its application for its Nov. 3 meeting, as the committee requested. At the meeting, MIM agreed to instead submit a permit extension and proposed changes to its special permit modification in response to the city solicitor’s comments before Monday, Nov. 10.

City Council will also open two new public hearings at its meeting this week  — one to resurface Blossom Street, a private way whose residents will, if approved, split the cost of resurfacing with the city, and the other for a drive-through ATM at 130 Lexington St.

Historical Commission

The Waltham Historical Commission is a seven-member board charged with preserving and overseeing Waltham’s historic buildings and properties. 

This week the commission will be discussing the Wellington House and cell towers at the New Light Korean Church at 730 Main St. The commission will meet at 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 10, over Zoom. The passcode for the Zoom meeting can be found on their page within the city site.

City Council

This week City Council also plans to hear a resolution from Ward 4 Councilor John McLaughlin and Ward 6 Councilor Sean Durkee commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy submitted two requests on bike infrastructure for the city. She has asked City Council to designate locations for the new bike-sharing program it has resolved to implement by next spring and accept a plan to add arterial bike lanes around the city proposed by the city engineer. 

She has also requested that the council accept a grant funding traffic enforcement for the police department. All three of these requests will likely be revisited in City Council committee meetings next week. 

City Council will meet at City Hall in the council chambers at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10.

Housing Authority

The Waltham Housing Authority works to provide affordable housing options for Waltham residents who face barriers to housing. It will meet Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 4:30 p.m over Zoom and in person at 110 Pond St.

Parks-Recreation Board

The Parks-Recration Board is an eight-person board that oversees the city’s public recreational spaces and programming. It will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Waltham Recreation Department at 510 Moody St.

Board of Library Trustees

The Board of Library Trustees is a five-person board appointed by the mayor and charged with establishing policies for the Waltham Public Library. This week, it is continuing building grant discussions and a policy review.

The board will meet at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13 in the Trustees Room of the Waltham Public Library.

Disability Services Commission

The Disability Services Commission is a seven-person board that works to make Waltham more accessible for residents with disabilities. It advocates and distributes funds for projects related to physical accessibility, signage, interpretation services and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

This week, the commission will be meeting to discuss a 911 voluntary notification of disability form, as well as 200 Trapelo Road accessibility features, the library renovation and the DSC website.

The commission meeting will be held over Zoom at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 using meeting ID number 857 7816 4410 and passcode 115466. Participants can request further meeting information from DSC Chairperson Mark Johnson at markj@walhouse.org.