Prospective cannabis retailer seeks host-community agreement; city solicitor says social-equity policy work under way, item tabled

Shamar James, chief executive of a family-run company called TH Connect LLC doing business as House of Diesel, appeared Feb. 18 before New Bedford’s Committee on Appointments and Briefings to request a host-community agreement (HCA) for a proposed co-located adult-use marijuana retail and product-manufacturing operation at 301 Herman Melville Boulevard.

James said his group filed the application in February 2023 and completed the city’s outreach steps, but that the city had not completed the administrative step of accepting the application fee and moving it forward. "We followed the guidance stated on the website," James told the committee. "We put together our application ... we held a community outreach meeting, and then we brought our application to be submitted, and it was not taken. It was accepted, but it wasn't officially submitted." He said the project would create about 24 jobs and pledged to hire locally and support community efforts.

Councilor Brian Gomes introduced the applicants and argued the project deserved a fair review. Tyrone Gomes (a local consultant working with the applicants) and a representative from Greenlight Business Solutions — a cannabis-industry consultant — described the team’s experience. Peter Gomes (Greenlight) said the company had pursued the process for two years and sought the city's support to proceed to state licensing.

City Solicitor Eric Jaques told the committee that the administration is actively revising the city’s social-equity policy and completing amendments to previously negotiated HCAs. He said four of five existing HCAs have been amended to conform with new Cannabis Control Commission rules and that the city is allowed under the local code to issue up to nine dispensary licenses. On timing, Jacques told the committee: "I expect the social equity policy will be completed within a month." He described staff and budget constraints in the solicitor's office that have slowed work on HCA amendments and related legal reviews.

Committee members pressed the solicitor and administration on why applicants had not been given clearer status updates; Jacques said he would meet with the applicants and gave them his city cell number. After questions and discussion, the committee voted to receive and place the HCA application on file and later voted to table further action at the request of council members while the administration finalizes its social-equity policy and completes outstanding HCA amendments.

What happens next: the application remains on file. The solicitor said the administration expects to complete a social-equity policy within roughly one month, after which the city may re-open the HCA process and consider pending applications.