GREENFIELD — The Zoning Board of Appeals will continue its discussions on whether the Arch Street cannabis grow facility, 15 Arch St. LLC, is in violation of its special permit conditions for excessive noise, on Aug. 15.

The issue will be further discussed after John Hadden, a co-owner of the facility, agreed to construct an L-shaped, roughly 8-foot fence around the site’s compressors in an effort to mitigate noise. By Aug. 15, Hadden is required to submit a proposal to the ZBA outlining a contract and proposed date of completion for the fence installation.

“My general feeling is that 15 Arch St. LLC has violated its special permit,” ZBA Chair David Singer said. “We had no indication that this noise trouble was going to be part of what they were going to build there. I think the neighbors have a right to live in peace, and if they had represented to us that they were going to have an industrial-size air compressor, we would have made a more strict restriction relative to noise.”

Hadden, who has co-owned the grow operation since its formation in 2018, originally appeared before the ZBA in May seeking a special permit to begin manufacturing cannabis concentrate, commonly known as “hash resin” — a process that he said can be done using primarily heat and water, without the release of harmful chemicals or noxious odors. His proposed change in use will also be brought forward in August, although he has told the board that he wishes to withdraw the application.

“The market during the last nine months has changed drastically. So have our business costs. We’ve made partnerships and collaborations and pursued other avenues,” Hadden said. “The snowballing costs of trying to make everyone happy … it’s just not financially prudent.”

Neighbors abutting the 15 Arch St. site sought smell and noise mitigation as conditions for the permit, claiming that the smell of cannabis and the persistent humming noise emanating from the facility are nuisances in their lives.

The board discussed different noise mitigation options, such as hiring a sound engineer to determine the decibel level emitted by the facility or installing fences, before ZBA member Mark Maloni noted that both Hadden and the Ordaskis must assess “reasonably” whether the noise has been sufficiently mitigated.

Although Building Inspector Mark Snow suggested that hiring a sound engineer would allow the board to study an objective sound reading, Hadden said he had previously contacted sound engineers and learned that many charge hundreds of dollars per hour for a job that would take multiple hours.

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com.