PALMER – A public hearing on the cannabis establishment set to occupy a portion of the existing building at 111b Breckenridge St. began during the Aug. 15 Planning Board meeting and was continued until their Sept. 12 meeting.

Before the hearing began, Administrative Assistant Rebekah Wright explained that the applicant, Oraka Wellington, is seeking a special permit and site plan approval to renovate a portion of the existing building and to construct an approximate 3,000 square foot cannabis cultivation facility.

Nearly 20 residents gathered in the Town Hall Meeting Room to hear the plans for the facility and address their concerns.

Chairman Michael Marciniec informed attendees that when this plan was submitted, the board received a notice of intent. “[The] board requires that a site plan be submitted,” he said. Marciniec added that their engineer had not yet reviewed the site plan. Due to this, the Planning Board decided to continue the public hearing at its next meeting, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. The hearing will take place in the Town Hall Meeting Room.

Russ Tedford, civil engineer on the project from Sherman and Frydryk, explained that the site is in the industrial zoning district, with a total of 10.16 acres. He added that the site is currently abutting one industrial property, while the rest is residential.

“In addition to the marijuana cultivation facility, the applicant is proposing to rip up the broken concrete drive in the north side and get parking as well,” to be used for deliveries and more, said Tedford.

Other improvements to the location include rain guarding, he noted.
Tedford went on to say that the application requests a few waivers to be used for landscaping and a new driveway.

Marciniec asked about odor control, to which Tedford said there are specific parameters per the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) for odor control and mitigation.

Marciniec noted that nothing new is being built, as the facility will go into the existing “middle” structure on Breckenridge. He added that there will not be any tree removal on the Breckenridge roadside.

Palmer resident Pauline Garcia asked if the cultivation facility could eventually turn into a dispensary. Tedford said that the company is only interested in cultivation. “Per [the] CCC, they can’t have cultivation and a dispensary in the same place.”

Garcia, who lives behind the future cultivation facility, expressed her concerns with odor and traffic.

As the proposal is for cultivation, Tedford said they try to keep the business as “private as possible.” For instance, only employees are allowed in the building – no outsiders can walk in. He shared that the plan is to assign no more than eight employees to one shift.

Since cultivation is only allowed in industrial districts, Linda Leduc, town planner/economic development director, explained that this is why the Breckenridge site is being considered.

Regarding the timeline of the project, Tedford said the exterior portion should take about a month or two to complete, whereas the interior will take more time. He noted that the architect for the project determined the building as structurally sound.

In preparation for the next public hearing, Tedford said they expect to have a more concrete plan to address residents’ concerns.

Until all information is provided, the board said the public hearing will keep going.