GREENFIELD — In response to a firm’s potential interest in land on Country Club Road for a marijuana cultivation site, residents are petitioning for a moratorium on any outdoor cultivation approvals until property line setbacks are established.
A joint public hearing by the Economic Development Committee and the Planning Board on the setback proposals is set for May 10, at 6 p.m.
At-Large City Councilor Christine Forgey, who lives in the area of Country Club Road, told councilors the issue goes back further than Country Club Ventures LLC’s interest in the land.
“The state made suggestions on zoning, and we just went ahead and approved what the state had,” Forgey said of the process that followed the state’s legalization of marijuana in 2017 and Greenfield’s approval of the retail sale of it. “Whereas the state recommendations were that it can’t be near schools, it can’t be near hospitals and it can’t be near playgrounds, it didn’t actually address densely populated neighborhoods.”
She said the petition seeks to consider zoning rules and regulations that are more specific to those areas.
“It is agriculture, I won’t argue that,” Forgey said. “But there are elements to this that are evolving quicker than we can adjust to at this point.”
She noted that the potential proposal of concern — by a group that has so far only hosted a community outreach meeting — is for three Tier 11 cultivation sites on a roughly 10-acre piece of land with wetlands involved.
Al Collins, who lives on Country Club Road and who initiated the petition, said setback issues must be addressed, not only for the sake of potential environmental issues that could arise, but for the health and well-being of the individuals who live in the neighborhood.
“It’s directly across from me,” Collins said of the land where Country Club Ventures is considering a grow facility. “But this isn’t for me. Any place in town is going to have the same issue.”
Forgey said she hopes to get ahead of those concerns.
“I’m looking at this as an opportunity for us to step up to the plate and to work out some of the bugs that are coming our way in regards to the marijuana industry and protect the rights of the citizens of Greenfield, so they’ll be able to stay in their neighborhoods and thrive in their neighborhoods,” Forgey said.
At-Large City Councilor Philip Elmer said next month’s hearing will be an opportunity for abutters to offer their feedback, and for the company eyeing Country Club Road as a cultivation site to share its plans.
“I do think we were a little amiss with not putting some other things in the zoning language,” commented Precinct 3 Councilor Virginia “Ginny” DeSorgher. “Other municipalities put different setbacks in there and some requirements we did not. I would suggest to my councilors … to look and see what other municipalities did.”
Of the 18 host community agreements that various groups have signed with the Greenfield since 2019, only one facility — Patriot Care on Legion Avenue — is open and active, according to a Feb. 23 memo to the Economic Development Committee from Planning and Development Director Eric Twarog.
One of those companies, Pleasantrees, terminated its agreement with the city last year, citing it was no longer interested in the property at 8 Woodard Road. A new group, Woodard Road Realty LLC, has since signed a host community agreement with the city for that land.
Six of the currently proposed projects — which include cultivation facilities, dispensaries/retail facilities, production manufacturing facilities and delivery operators — have received approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
“In discussions with professionals from other communities, it seems that the issue of projects not moving forward is common,” Twarog wrote. “There could be several reasons for the hold-ups.”
The state Cannabis Control Commission also takes a while to give its approval, he noted.
“Mostly,” Twarog said, “I have heard that financing is the primary reason that projects are not moving forward.”
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne