WHATELY — With the Planning Board’s approval for a landscape screening plan Tuesday evening, Greenjeans Farms is now cleared to begin construction of an indoor marijuana cultivation facility at Long Plain Farm at 149 Christian Lane.
With four members voting in favor and Sara Cooper abstaining as an abutter, Greenjeans Farms and General Manager Julie Beauchemin are able to begin construction on the site after passing through an approval process that spanned from September to March. Beauchemin said the company hopes to begin construction over the summer and be fully operational by the end of the year.
“We are grateful to the right-to-farm communities like Whately who support their small, local farms by making it possible for them to participate in this industry,” Beauchemin wrote in an email. “Greenjeans Farms is taking an agricultural, energy-efficient approach to cannabis, which not only produces superior cannabis flower, but also contributes to more sustainable practices.”
After presenting Greenjeans Farms’ most recently updated plan at January’s meeting — which was followed by a postponed February meeting — the Planning Board requested different landscape screening options for the edge of the property.
Beauchemin presented three options Tuesday, which included plantings of red twig dogwood, inkberry holly and clethra plants; a 7-foot chain-link fence with green privacy screens; or a cedar stockade fence. She said the farm would have to wait for state Cannabis Control Commission approval for its plantings after construction is completed because plantings can be a security hazard as people could hide in them after dark.
With the proposals in hand, the Planning Board indicated it would prefer the cedar stockade fence because it fits with the character of Whately, along with any additional plantings if the state cannabis inspectors allow them.
“You heard the board’s and the abutters’ feedback very clearly and you, in very good faith, responded,” commented Planning Board member Brant Cheikes. “I appreciate the logic of the selection. … I think I’m happy.”
Abutter Fred Orloski, who also serves as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, agreed that any of the options would be acceptable, as long as they are consistently maintained.
“Whichever fence is going to be easier to maintain, they all look nice when you build them brand new,” Orloski said. “Over time, which is going to be easier to maintain?”
Beauchemin said she and her employees will be monitoring the site every day they are there.
With the landscape screening plan accepted, the Planning Board voted to approve Greenjeans Farms’ site plan, with conditions set in place to monitor excessive odor; restrictions on horticultural lighting; no use of town water for cultivation without prior approval from the town’s water commissioners; and if planted, any plants that are damaged or die must be replaced each spring or fall.
With the approval, Beauchemin said Greenjeans Farms is seeking to be the first craft marijuana cooperative in Massachusetts to begin operations. In neighboring Conway, craft marijuana cooperative Roaring Glen Farms’ special permit amendment was approved by the Planning Board in January and is in the process of seeking cooperative members as operations begin to take shape.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.