When JSD was approached by Western Front to program and design commercial space in Chelsea for what would become the first retail cannabis dispensary to open in Suffolk County, we jumped at the chance.
The programming for such a space, with all its particulars around security, crowd overflow, separation between front and back-of-house, client sequencing, and wayfinding presented one set of challenges. Dressing up the commercial building and streetscape that abuts a residential neighborhood while still “laying low,” when many neighborhoods were still not sure about the impacts a dispensary would have on their neighborhood, was another challenge.
We helped in re-imagining the non-descript commercial storefront in a light commercial/residential neighborhood that would require space planning to over 5,000 sf of interior space and include an adjacent work bar to manage customer overflow.
The project also required thoughtful treatment to the exterior: A well-lit storefront and parking area, landscape buffer, and dressed up exterior that both enhances the streetscape but creates a modest presence as an abutter to a densely settled residential neighborhood.
