WORCESTER - The Heart of the Commonwealth appears to be on its way to becoming a pot hub of the Bay State.

With the state's Cannabis Control Commission preparing to make its headquarters in Union Station, the city announced Tuesday it is entering into negotiations to host five retail marijuana establishments, plus two marijuana cultivation facilities, one marijuana product manufacturing business, and one marijuana micro-business.

City Manager Edward Augustus's office said Worcester aims to reach community-host agreements with the pot businesses that will permit community-impact fees and other forms of local regulatory oversight. The state Cannabis Control Commission requires marijuana businesses applying to set up shop to have a signed host agreement.

Mr. Augustus' office said the five retail establishments are Community Growers Partnership LLC, of 40 Jackson St.; Evergreen Strategies LLC, of 143 Southwest Cutoff; TDMA LLC, doing business as Diem, 74 Grafton St.; Mayflower Medicinals, 645 Park Ave., and Trichome Health Corp. Inc., 62 West Boylston St.

Under state law, the city is required to allow for 15 marijuana retail establishments, according to the city manager's office. In addition to the five establishments newly proposed, four existing medical marijuana operators have been granted approval to sell recreational marijuana, bringing the total to nine.

The four other businesses the city is negotiating to host are manufacturing concerns that will not be open to the public, the city manager's office said.

Those establishments are the Curated Leaf Inc. (cultivation), 10 Pullman St.; Magic Dragon LLC (micro-business), 45-61 Fremont St.; SuperCritical Mass Laboratories Inc. (product manufacturer), 251 Brooks St., and RC Cultivation LLC (cultivation), 30 Pullman St.

The proposed manufacturing facilities are in addition an existing cultivation business, Temescal Wellness at 141 Southwest Cutoff, according to the city manager's office.

The new pot businesses are expected to create 225 jobs as as well as "substantial tax revenue" for Worcester, Mr. Augustus' office stated in a release.

Each potential new operator must still receive approval from the Cannabis Control Commission and the city's Planning Board and License Commission.

To date, the city has received 39 applications for a variety of cannabis-related licenses.

The city must still issue an additional six retail licenses, according to the city manager's office.