Staff Writer
Published: 11/25/2020 8:25:27 PM
MONTAGUE — Flower Power Growers, a marijuana growing company looking to open in the industrial park, has had its permit application approved by the Planning Board, likely putting the company on track to begin construction of its facilities this summer.
The company has proposed buying from the town an undeveloped lot within the industrial park — the area that also includes Franklin County Technical School. The sale, agreed at $157,500, is contingent on Flower Power Growers finalizing its legal permitting from the town and the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).
The company’s permit application included lengthy explanations of how the facility would control light pollution and stormwater runoff — which is potentially problematic in the industrial park, considering its proximity to the Connecticut River.
But the only issue that prompted significant concern in the Planning Board’s hearing was odor control, according to Montague Town Planner Walter Ramsey.
(The closeness to the school is not a legal problem. Cannabis businesses must be at least 300 feet away from any school, Ramsey said, and Flower Power Growers’ proposed facility is about 1,000 feet from Franklin Tech.)
Odor control is often an issue with cannabis businesses, said Josh Goldman, one of the three principals of Flower Power Growers. However, he said, the technology used for odor control has improved significantly since the legal cannabis industry has developed. The machines in Flower Power Growers’ plan, he said, are said to be 98.7 percent effective in odor neutralization.
A host community agreement will be negotiated between Flower Power Growers and the Selectboard, now that the project has its permit from the Planning Board.
“That’s the next phase in their interaction with the town,” Ramsey said.
The agreement will include a legally required payment to the town of an “impact fee,” which will be calculated as some percentage of the company’s gross revenue, Goldman said.
Company principals have also proposed an arts and culture fee, commitments for volunteer hours and donations to local charities, he added.
“There is a desire on both sides to make a contribution above what those identifiable impacts are,” Goldman said.
The proposed facility is made up of three greenhouses and two warehouse-like buildings, which will cultivate marijuana and manufacture marijuana products. The buildout is estimated to be worth about $7 million, and the company will generate about 60 new jobs, Goldman said.
Construction would be in three phases. If licensing and the sale proceed as expected, Goldman said, the first phase of construction would begin this summer, and the company should be operational by the third quarter of 2021.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.
November 26, 2020 at 08:29AM
https://www.recorder.com/Montague-Planning-Board-OKs-Flower-Power-Growers-on-track-for-summer-construction-37496169
Montague Planning Board OKs Flower Power Growers, on track for summer construction - The Recorder
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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