Heka Health is proposing a facility at the location Total Health and Wellness once sought for a dispensary.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A medical marijuana dispensary is again planned for a Dalton Avenue building after the first company failed to receive a state permit to operate.

 

Heka Health received a special permit on Tuesday from the Community Development Board to run a dispensary at 531 Dalton Ave. The site, the home of County-Wide Rentals, was already approved for such a use when Total Health and Wellness sought a dispensary there.

 

However, Total Health and Wellness did not receive the permit needed from the state Department of Public Health.

 

The board previously felt it was a "great spot" for such usage and approved the project in 2013, so on Tuesday with little discussion they did the same for Heka.

 

"A previous applicant received a special permit approval for a dispensary at this location in January," reads a review from the city's Community Development Department. 

 

The property is owned by Paul Lester, and Heka Chairman Mark Dupuis was on hand Tuesday to answer questions — but no questions were asked. The Zoning Board of Appeals will have a hearing on the project later in the month.

 

The application calls for 15 on-site parking spots and expects to serve "30 to 50 patients per day." The store will be staffed by two to three employees and patients are expected to be in and out in 10 minutes.  

 

"Heka Health has submitted three applications for certificates of registration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health," the application reads.

 

The other sites are proposed to be located in Westfield and Lee. 

 

The Berkshires have yet to see a dispensary open since voters approved the legal usage in 2012. The first dispensary in the state opened this year but that was after the state crafted stringent regulations on the facilities and issued a limited number of permits. Of multiple applications since then, no companies from the Berkshires were granted permits.

 

Manna Wellness is still pursuing plans to operate a dispensary off West Housatonic Street and is ahead of Heka in the state permitting process. Manna was invited to the next stage of permitting on Aug. 13 and submitted the management and operations plans the following day. There are a number of phases following that.