On Monday, Oct. 4, a community meeting was held over Zoom about a potential new marijuana delivery business opening in Norton. The meeting was attended by members of the Norton community, including a member of the Norton Select Board, a Wheaton student and Norton residents. The proposed business, named “Lucky Green Ladies, LLC” (LGL) was co-founded by Alissa Nowak, a Bellingham resident and medical marijuana patient.
Nowak co-runs the business with her mother and was a former Dunkin’ manager at the busy Newton Highlands location on Route 9, as well as a graduate of Centenary University. The Nowak family has small business experience, also owning the Sleep Inn hotel in Middleton, NY. At the community meeting, Nowak described LGL as “women-owned,” as well as “community driven… and locally owned.”
Nowak noted that the business is planning to hire for many positions, which include “Driver, Order Processor, Order Packager, Social Media Manager and Store Manager.” Also, the business plans to hire Norton residents for at least 50% of open positions, with pay starting at $16/hour and increasing to $18/hour after one year, as well as “full benefits.” The business announced at the community meeting that it plans to raise around or more than $200k annually in local taxes for Norton.
As far as safety goes, Nowak said that they plan to deliver products in unmarked cars and that they plan to work with the Norton Police and Fire Departments, both of which are located just around 3.5 miles away from the business. Additionally, their packaging will not include “bright colors… or cartoon characters” that might appeal to minors, nor will packaging allow “any marijuana to be exposed to [the] air” before it reaches its destination. Nowak noted that these policies are in accordance with Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission regulations.
The business said that it only plans to deliver marijuana only to physical addresses and to “consumers aged 21 years of age or older with a verified and valid, government-issued photo ID.” It also mentioned they do not plan to deliver outside the Commonwealth or to hotels, federal public housing, or College/University dormitories, meaning most Wheaton students will be ineligible to place orders.
The business also noted that they are in line with current zoning bylaws, being located in a “commercial zone” located at 394 Old Colony Road, which Nowak described as “hidden [and discrete].” In a timeline given by Nowak to “The Wire,” the business noted that it had previously secured $1 million in funding in Aug. 2020 and that the town pre-certified the business in Aug. 2021 through the Economic Development Commission and the Select Board, meaning that the opening is unlikely to be delayed. LGL plans to train employees and stock products in Oct. 2022 and begin operations in Nov. 2022, planning to be open seven days a week with delivery times from 8 A.M. to 9 P.M.