A cannabis dispensary proposed to replace Cathedral Station is already meeting steep opposition from residents.

The East Berkeley Neighborhood Association held the first public meeting about the proposed store at 1220 Washington St. on Jan. 3, looking to test the waters and clear up rumors that have sprung up since it was first announced that The Boston Garden might replace the prominent LGBTQ sports bar Cathedral Station.

Local cannabis entrepreneur Nike John clarified that the current business owners are retiring, not being forced out, but that didn’t weaken overwhelming opposition from residents worried about already present problems with marijuana use in the adjacent park.

“We only became aware of this location because the current owners informed the landlord that they intended to retire and relocate to Florida,” said Lesley Delaney Hawkins, the Prince Lobel lawyer and former executive secretary for the Boston Cannabis Board who is now representing The Boston Garden. “I want to make it very clear that this is not a displacement of a business; we came in after the fact. We’re just looking to step in if we’re approved by regulators once that business closes. There are no plans to co-locate, you legally cannot co-locate a cannabis and liquor license.”

As a company owned by a woman of color, The Boston Garden qualifies as an equity applicant at the state and local level, streamlining its application process.

The property would have 23 parking spaces for customers in addition to metered street parking, and its patio would provide space for queues so that patrons wouldn’t have to wait on the sidewalk. John is confident that the business would have minimal impact on vehicle traffic and pedestrians. The shop would open at 9 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.

“We haven’t had any queueing issues at our Charlestown location, and we’re the only one nearby. Loitering can sometimes be an issue, but our presence helps to diminish that and clean up the area. People are more mindful. Most dispensaries in Boston don’t even have parking, only 10 percent,” said John.

Despite assurances that the shop would require a good-neighbor agreement for all customers and could ban anyone found to have littered, or smoked in public, an overwhelming majority of residents who spoke at the public meeting opposed the shop.

Concerns ranged from the general impact on the neighborhood, to the number of kids who frequent the area, to disbelief that the store could dissuade people from smoking in the park.

“You said you care about the neighborhood, that you want to fit in, but you’re tone-deaf to the fact that people don’t want this,” said Ken Smith, a 40-year resident of the neighborhood. “I admire that you're a bright young businesswoman starting your own company; that’s wonderful, but why not put a bakery in? Why not a sandwich shop? This area of the South End gets all the garbage whether we want it or not. It’s all about profit, all about money.”

Carolyn Longden, director of events for the SoWa Power Station, said: “With proximity to schools, the park, daycares, and the other small businesses we’re trying to bring into this community, we feel that this is going to really hinder that progress. We’ve seen what’s happened to the neighborhood during the pandemic. People suffering from homelessness, addiction, just trying to live. This won’t be assisting the neighborhood at all. Of the people we discussed the proposal with, about 80 percent were really upset and opposed to this.’’

The next meeting to consider the proposal is scheduled for Jan. 18. There’s no timeline yet for when Cathedral Station will close.