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Chelsea licensing panel approves change of ownership for House of Ermias cannabis shop
Summary
The Chelsea Licensing Commission approved adding three new owners to the House of Ermias cannabis license at 267 Broadway after a public hearing and state Cannabis Control Commission approvals; opponents raised proximity concerns to a nearby home daycare.
The Chelsea Licensing Commission on Monday approved a change of ownership for House of Ermias LLC, a cannabis retailer at 267 Broadway, allowing three additional individuals to join the ownership group.
Attorney Scott Rubin, representing the applicants, told the commission the filing seeks only to add three people to the existing ownership group. “As you mentioned, this is an application simply to, add 3 individuals to the ownership group of House of Ermias,” Rubin said, noting the business received a host community agreement in 2021 and has gone through state licensing steps with the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).
The matter drew public comment from a nearby resident who said the store’s customers could pose risks for a home daycare three blocks away. Julio Bernardo, who identified his address as 50 Congress Street, said the neighborhood once had heavy drug activity and that parents were previously hesitant to bring children into the area. “That business is gonna bring a lot of problems. There will be more people coming in to buy more drugs,” Bernardo said through a translator.
Rubin responded that the application before the commission concerned only the ownership change and not the underlying license. He said the applicants and their landlord had pursued regulatory approvals since 2021 and that the CCC approved the new ownership in February. Rubin told commissioners his clients had notified roughly 200 abutters and that Chelsea Police had visited the site the previous day with no reported issues.
Commissioners asked no substantive questions during the hearing. A motion to approve the ownership change was moved and seconded, and the commission approved the change by voice vote; the record does not show a numerical roll call tally.
Rubin said the applicants expect final CCC licensing action at the commission’s April meeting and, if the state issues a commencement letter, they would be ready to open between May 1 and May 15. He also said the CCC requires paper bags for product packaging.
Why it matters: adding owners can change a business’s operational capacity and financing; the commission’s approval follows state-level signoffs and a nearly four-year local permitting process that included a special permit tied to the landlord.
The commission did not state a timeline for issuing a city license after the state’s final steps.
