NORTHFIELD — Only two residents showed up to give input at a public forum on marijuana zoning.
“We were hoping for a little more fireworks tonight,” said Planning Board Chairman Richard Fitzgerald.
Due to the low turnout on Wednesday, Fitzgerald said, the board will try to schedule at least one more public forum, in addition to the public hearing on the bylaws that the board is required to hold before the special town meeting. Selectwoman Julie Blyth, who was at the meeting, suggested that the Planning Board also meet with the Selectboard for input and guidance.
Along with Blyth, the other attendee was Bill Llewelyn, who chairs the Agricultural Commission and Conservation Commission.
The “burning question” that the forum was meant to address, Planning Board member Steve Serendynski said, was whether there are any places in town where residents feel marijuana businesses should not be allowed.
At a December 2017 special town meeting, residents voted to implement a moratorium on all marijuana businesses in Northfield. The moratorium expires at the end of 2018. If no zoning bylaws are in place by that time, businesses will be able to open at any location in Northfield.
So the Planning Board hopes to present a set of bylaws for the town to vote on at this year’s special town meeting, which is not yet scheduled but likely to be held in November or December.
The purpose of the public forum, Fitzgerald said, was to “take the town’s pulse” on what the Planning Board should do.
“It’s obviously not a hot topic in town,” Serendynski said, referring to the low turnout.
Neither of the attendees objected to allowing a marijuana retail store to open in central Northfield, which would be the most likely and most strategic location for a new business to open, Planning Board members said.
Serendynski added that Northfield already has regulations against ostentatious signs, so that a new store would not disrupt the atmosphere of Main Street.
“You’re not going to see a building that has neon lights and a big marijuana leaf in the front,” he said.
Planning Board member Homer Stavely pointed out that, with the Moody Center expanding its operations in the coming year and Thomas Aquinas College likely opening next fall, Northfield could soon become more attractive for businesses. Any zoning regulations, he said, should be created with that possibility in mind.
“Northfield in two years or 18 months could look significantly different,” Stavely said.
Llewelyn noted that excessive regulations could make Northfield unattractive for new businesses.
“It’s very hard to come up with something and not kick yourself down the road,” he said.
The deadline for the Planning Board to submit its proposed zoning bylaws will likely be in mid-October, Blyth said, so if the board is to hold another public forum, it will have to be before then. The board is also required to hold a public hearing before the special town meeting, which, Fitzgerald said, may effectively serve as the second public forum, if the board does not have time to schedule another.
“We’re kind of under the gun to get something going,” Serendynski said.
Contact Max Marcus at
mmarcus@recorder.com or
413-772-0261 ex 261.