GREENFIELD — The Planning Board voted to initiate a year-long moratorium on outdoor marijuana cultivation during its virtual meeting Thursday evening.
“We’re doing this to address the effects that these facilities could have on the city and on residential neighborhoods,” explained Planning and Development Director Eric Twarog.
The decision comes following a petition, triggered by the potential development of three Tier 11 cultivation sites at 446 Country Club Road, that advocated for a moratorium to be put in place until property line setbacks are established. A new round of public hearings will be the next step following City Council’s response to communication from the Planning Board issued Friday morning. The year-long moratorium, considered a zoning amendment that affects grow facilities of all tier levels, will begin once the newspaper publishes a notice announcing the first public hearing, according to Twarog. Until City Council responds, he said the public hearing dates cannot be predicted.
Public hearings will likely continue to address previously aired concerns, such as odor during the growing season, the aesthetics of the required security fencing and the potential impact outdoor marijuana cultivation sites have on neighboring properties.
“We want to study setbacks,” Twarog said Thursday. “We want to study other things. That will have to go through a separate process.”
However, the Country Club Road property is exempt from the year-long moratorium due to the “approval not required” (ANR) plan submitted just a week after the city posted notice of a public hearing regarding a potential moratorium on approvals for outdoor cultivation sites. The ANR, which was endorsed by the Planning Board, insulates the land from zoning changes that occur in the next three years.
What’s been proposed on Country Club Road is three Tier 11 sites at 100,000 square feet each — the largest size allowed under state law. The cultivators — Country Club Ventures, Fibonacci Farms and Greenfield Farma, all of whom have signed host community agreements — share a lawyer, a business address and a corporation start date.
The Planning Board and Economic Development Committee will recommend to City Council whether it should uphold the moratorium following the conclusion of the public hearing process, according to Twarog. City Council will then vote on the matter.
“You can always end the moratorium with the adoption of a new amendment,” Twarog elaborated.
Toward the end of Thursday’s discussion, Planning Board Vice Chair George Touloumtzis highlighted the public’s role in helping the moratorium come to fruition.
“I just want to honor that activism and citizen participation,” he said.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.