Wellesley Business Buzz: A gap (lowercase) in Wellesley Square; pot deliveries coming to a doorstep near you?; Pink Soda grand opening in Linden Square

Wellesley’s zoning bylaws are quite specific about marijuana businesses operating in town and they were revised at Special Town Meeting last October to ensure they were synced with Mass General Law. Registered marijuana dispensaries, where someone could fill a prescription, are allowed but the location needs to be a certain distance from schools, childcare facilities, etc. Any other sort of pot shop, recreational or wholesale, is banned, per voter decision.

Natick’s Select Board is weighing what to do about proposals for recreational pot shops in that town, a couple of which would be in the Jennings Pond/Morses Pond area on Rte. 9 east, and have been a cause for concern among neighbors. The Natick Select Board discussed the matter for more than two hours this past week if you’re interested in hearing what various parties had to say (we haven’t plowed through it all yet). It looks as if the first shop will likely be in Natick’ Cloverleaf Mall, away from single-family residences.

Natick has also allowed a testing lab and medical marijuana facility to open in town, and now is mulling companies that would establish wholesale and delivery businesses. These are dubbed delivery couriers and delivery operators. While neither of these business types can open in Wellesley, that won’t prevent them from delivering here. Natick will reap the funds from any sales and community impact fees it assesses on such companies. A warrant article formalizing the approval of such shops to operate in Natick appears headed for Town Meeting in the spring, and then the real action could begin.

One reason Wellesley residents might want to keep an eye on this is that if pot shops do set up just across the town line, couriers could add to the business/traffic at such locations (retailers aren’t allowed to do delivery themselves).

“I know that there has been concern over what Natick is considering from neighbors near the Town line,” says Planning Board Chair Catherine Johnson. “It would be good to have better connectivity and communication between towns.”

Pink Soda grand opening in Linden Square

Pink Soda, a full-service blow dry bar and hair salon, made its grand entrance last weekend in Linden Square. The girly-glam spot uses only PPD-free hair color, which offers high-def color results with incredible shine and 100 % gray coverage.

Welcome to Wellesley, Pink Soda.

Got tips on business openings, closings or whatever, feel free to email us here: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

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