A new Framingham marijuana advisory team will evaluate the five applications and make recommendations to Mayor Yvonne Spicer.

FRAMINGHAM — The cannabis industry is knocking on Framingham’s door.

At least five entities are seeking Mayor Yvonne Spicer’s blessing to open recreational marijuana dispensaries in the city.

Among them is Temescal Wellness, which launched the city’s first medical marijuana dispensary in October at 665 Cochituate Road.

Other applicants have pitched similar proposals to open combination retail and medical dispensaries at a handful of sites along Rte. 9. All fall within a newly-formed marijuana retail overlay district, which stretches the length of Rte. 9, extending into the Golden Triangle area near Exit 13 of the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Negotiating an agreement with the city is a key component of the state’s new guidelines for marijuana retailers. The city began accepting applications in mid-November following a series of votes by the City Council to establish local rules for the industry.

Those rules allow as many as six retail dispensaries to open in Framingham. The city isn't obligated to sign off on plans by a certain date. However, delaying the arrival of new pot shops could deprive the city of revenue; town officials previously adopted a 3 percent local tax on dispensary profits.

Municipalities can collect additional fees of up to 3 percent of a dispensary's gross sales to offset the cost of public services rendered to the business, such as paying police overtime to monitor congestion or crowds.

A new marijuana advisory team will evaluate the applications and make recommendations to the mayor. Members include Chief Operating Officer Thatcher Kezer, Building Commissioner Michael Tusino and Planning Board Administrator Amanda Loomis, as well as the police and fire chiefs, the director of public health, the chief financial officer and the city solicitor, or their designees.

The team's recommendations will focus on protecting the health, safety and welfare of residents. Criteria that will weigh in an applicant's favor include demonstrated experience in the cannabis industry, an existing presence in Framingham, minimal impacts on traffic and a commitment to hiring a diverse workforce, with a preference for local workers.

Framingham has already granted permission to a pair of marijuana testing laboratories to operate in the city. Below is a look at the other entities seeking to launch or expand marijuana establishments in Framingham:

VitaSphere Inc., of Newton, proposes opening a combined medical and retail marijuana dispensary at 271 Worcester Road. It currently has $1.2 million committed to the Framingham location, according to paperwork filed with the city.

VitaSphere has already received provisional approval from the Department of Public Health to run a facility in Warren, where it plans to cultivate, process and sell medical marijuana, likely beginning in late 2019. Before then, the company will pay manufacturers to supply cannabis products.

Key partners in the venture include Anthony Parrinello, VitaSphere's strategic adviser, who has designed and built marijuana establishments in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Parrinello was formerly CEO of Temescal Wellness.

The company envisions opening its Framingham shop by next May.

"We feel that VitaSphere should be the preferred choice for Framingham as an RMD and Marijuana Retailer," reads a cover letter. "The vision of VitaSphere has always been to help others. We are focused on the medical benefits of marijuana and our goal is to provide high-quality medicine to those who need it."

Green Rush LLC, of Avon, is eyeing the same building at 271 Worcester Road for a retail pot shop. Both entities are vying to locate inside a roughly 2,200-square-foot space on the first floor of the building, which is home to three other tenants.

According to paperwork filed with the city, the company's proponents have more than 20 years of combined experience in the cannabis industry. Partners include Joey Chiu and her cousin, Hai Qing Huang, whose horticulture supply business serves growers in Washington state, Oregon and California.

Huang has been assisted for the past five years by manager Jack Carney, who helped the business secure two retail licenses for adult use cannabis sales in Washington.

Operating under a different business name, Huang and Carney negotiated separate host agreements for three retail locations in the Bay State, and secured provisional approval to run a marijuana establishment in Pittsfield.

Acknowledging that it may face competition in Framingham, the company pointed to data suggesting demand will be strong enough to support multiple pot shops.

"Statistics from Washington State show that in a town of 37,000 people, two stores across the street from each other were able to sustain well over $100,000 in revenue for the past (three) months," reads a business plan. "We believe that this statistic shows that even with competition (and in a city with nearly half the population of Framingham), stores of this nature are able to operate and continue growth."

Cultivate Holdings, of Leicester, plans to open a combined medical and retail dispensary inside the vacant building at 250 Worcester Road, which formerly housed Taqueria Mexico.

The company has the distinction of being the only applicant that is already operating an adult-use dispensary in Massachusetts. Cultivate’s facility in Leicester began sales last month, becoming one of the first two adult-use dispensaries to open on the East Coast.

Cultivate's principal officers also hold medical and recreational marijuana licenses in Hawaii and Nevada.

Listing its strengths, the company argued it's a less risky prospect for the city than other applicants because it already runs a cultivation facility, and has a "solid" five-year plan, which includes opening dispensaries in Framingham and a third location, identified as a "highly populated” suburban city.

Cultivate also plans to develop an additional 80,000 square foot cultivation facility over the next several years.

The company argues the underutilized building at 250 Worcester Road is an ideal place for a marijuana retailer.

"The proposed stand-alone building will be greatly enhanced with a complete facelift of the outside," reads paperwork filed with the city. "The building has currently been vacant for quite some time and this opportunity will bring the property back into business. The building will have the highest quality and character."

Beacon Compassion Inc., of Norwood, received permission previously from town selectmen to operate a medical marijuana dispensary at 315 Worcester Road, though it has yet to build out the proposed facility.

According to paperwork filed with the city, the company still intends to open the dispensary, which would additionally serve the retail market.

Beacon envisions operating three medical and retail facilities in Massachusetts — one in Framingham, another in New Bedford, and a third in an as-yet undisclosed location. They would be served by a production and processing center in Attleboro with a commercial kitchen.

"With decades of expertise in business management, law enforcement, medical and pharmaceutical services, we have the skills and commitment necessary to ensure a well-run, well-managed marijuana establishment," a business plan reads. "Our well-rounded team is respected and has been frequently recognized for their contributions in their industries. We have also partnered with additional industry leaders in the form of our advisory board, cultivation consultant, local attorney, and public relations specialist.”

Caregiver-Patient Connection, a two-year-old company based in Barre, plans to grow and manufacture marijuana on land at 61 Tripp St. The company's founders own an industrial complex at that address.

Caregiver-Patient Connection intends to sell products wholesale to other Massachusetts dispensaries, with a catalog ranging from marijuana flower to cannabis-infused cookies, chocolates, gummies, lozenges and specialty products.

Partners include an experienced dispensary operator in California and master grower with 12 years experience working in California, Colorado and Vermont, according to paperwork filed with the city. "These partners currently own the rights to numerous unique strands (of cannabis), and are all leaders in their respective markets," an executive summary reads.

The company anticipates hiring 25 employees to work in Framingham. Elsewhere, its plans call for opening three of its own dispensaries. It previously received a provisional license from the state to run one medical dispensary.

Editor's note: A photograph that originally accompanied this story showed a building at 61 Tripp St. that will not be used by any marijuana establishment. The building is occupied by Andersen Cycle Works, which will remain at its current location. Caregiver-Patient Connection plans to grow and manufacture marijuana products inside separate buildings at the rear of 61 Tripp St. and across the road at 60 Tripp St.

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin.