A medical marijuana dispensary with plans to locate in Wayland will be required to pay a 3% impact fee to the town according to a draft community host agreement. Earth Well Farms is asking town officials to approve their plan to serve patients and caregivers at 540 Boston Post Road on the West side of town. State law allows municipalities to impose community impact fees of up to 3% on dispensaries so long as the fee is, “reasonably related to the costs imposed upon the municipality by the operation of the marijuana establishment or medical marijuana treatment center.”
Acting Town Manager Stephen Crane wrote in a memo to the Wayland Select Board that the money collected from the impact fee could be used to fund youth health projects including speakers at the Wayland Public Schools. Impact fees have been a point of contention between some cannabis business and municipalities, even resulting in lawsuits. Legislation making its way through the Massachusetts legislature would give the Cannabis Control Commission power to consider the reasonableness of community impact fees as part of their review of host community agreements. Wayland has banned recreational marijuana establishments.
Find the full story from Patch here: https://patch.com/massachusetts/wayland/wayland-may-use-cannabis-fees-fund-youth-services
