WEST SPRINGFIELD – The town of West Springfield has finalized a map of locations that meet the zoning criteria for recreational cannabis retail and production facilities, which the Town Council voted 6-3 to allow last month.

The map, obtained from the West Springfield clerk’s office, reveals that cannabis facilities coming to town will likely be limited to a few industrial neighborhoods mostly on the eastern edge of town, along Riverdale Street, south of Memorial Avenue, or close to the border of Holyoke on Interstate Drive.

Most of these zones are separated from houses by not only the legal 300-foot buffer, but also forests or thoroughfares. Two are relatively close to residential areas, however: industrial properties along Union Street, and in the Ashley Street area. Council President Ed Sullivan said he isn’t concerned over this, citing the amendment introduced by Councilor Michael Laflamme that limits the maximum number of facilities that may operate in town to three.

Almost all of the central and western parts of West Springfield are off-limits for cannabis businesses under the terms of last month’s council vote, either because they are not zoned for industry or because they are within 300 feet of a residence or 500 feet of a school.

Mayor William Reichelt, who championed the new ordinance, could not be reached for comment before The Reminder’s deadline, but has said previously that it will be at least a year before any shops actually open for business, due to the lengthy and expensive permitting process mandated by the state. Cannabis businesses could include retail shops, testing laboratories, manufacturing plants for edible products, or growing facilities.

If one group of residents has its way, however, the law may be repealed before any businesses can take advantage of it. John Sweeney, a former town councilor, is one of the sponsors of a petition for a ballot vote in November to reinstate the ban on non-medical cannabis businesses. He said he hoped to turn in petition sheets with 3,500 signatures by the Aug. 17 filing deadline, well over the 2,200 required to initiate a referendum.

Town Clerk Otto Frizzell told The Reminder he was prohibited from disclosing figures related to signature collection until after the petition deadline passed.
Councilor Michael O’Brien had said at a July council meeting that he had collected 1,200 signatures in support of the ballot question, but the town clerk did not accept this petition, and proponents had to begin collection again.

Sweeney criticized Reichelt for not seeking voters’ opinions on legalizing recreational cannabis businesses in town. The mayor or council could have sponsored a referendum question on the town election ballots in 2017, 2019 or 2021, he said. Under state law, the only way to get a local question on the ballot in an even-numbered year is through citizen petition, he said.