A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the name of William Hartley’s proposed store. The correct name is The Verb is Herb.
EASTHAMPTON – A Connecticut man is planning to open what he describes as a “mom and pop” retail marijuana shop at 74 Cottage Street and is seeking a special permit from the Planning Board.
William Hartley has secured a lease for the property, and together with his consultant Steven Chaisson, presented plans for the shop before the board Tuesday night, including security measures and the foot-traffic impact to Cottage Street. City planners said their biggest concern with the proposed business, called The Verb is Herb, is how it would handle large lines on Cottage Street.
Hartley has completed an application with the Cannabis Control Commission. He said he is expecting to hear about a provisional license by Dec. 23.
Unlike most businesses that have to provide parking for their customers in Easthampton, The Verb is Herb would be exempt from such bylaws because it sits on a lot grandfathered in before those regulations were set, City Planner Jeffrey Bagg said at the meeting.
Hartley and Chaisson gave board members a walk-through of how customers would purchase their marijuana. First, customers would have to present their identification to a small camera at the front door. After being buzzed into the building, customers would have to hand over their IDs to be scanned and verified as legitimate before being granted access to the retail floor.
There would be three lines for customers to order products in 228-square-feet of retail space, and Hartley said he expects to employ about 11 employees.
Hartley, owner of a security company called Griffin Security, touted the shop’s security system plan, which would consist of 16 cameras and nine terabytes of memory, as well as employees standing by the exit to make sure no one can sneak in that way.
The shop’s hours of operation would be from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., but they could be adjusted, Hartley said.
Planning board members were concerned with the potential size of the lines queuing up outside the shop.
“The lines will be bigger than you think,” James Zarvis, acting chairman of the Planning Board, said at the meeting. “And queuing on the street does not sit well with me.”
Customers could form a line down Pine Street, Hartley said, but that suggestion was met with skepticism from the board and abutters attending the meeting.
David J. Ciak, a landlord with property on Pine Street, said he is not against marijuana shops opening in Easthampton, but expressed concern over parking and lines forming on Pine Street. He was worried that his tenants would be disturbed by the popularity of the pot shop.
Hartley and Chaisson did not know the total amount of customers they could legally have within the retail store, which they will have to provide to the Planning Board before the next meeting.
As for the business’ name, Hartley said that as a kid growing up in Hartford, Connecticut, he would hear people say “The verb is herb, man,” and since then, the phrase stuck with him.
“It’s making the herb as an action and more than just a noun,” Hartley said on Thursday. “And we know what the herb is.”
The board decided to continue the hearing on Jan. 15 and asked the applicants to pr ovide an opening day plan, a revised plan for customers queuing up on the street, and a documented review from the chief of police.
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com