Cheshire hearing reopens debate on allowing cannabis cultivation in industrial zones

A continued public hearing before the Cheshire Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 8 centered on a petition to amend the town's zoning regulations to permit licensed cannabis cultivation and micro-cultivation in the town's industrial zones under a special-permit process. Representatives for the applicant said the change would let property owners seek discretionary approval with strict security and odor-control conditions; residents and some commissioners raised concerns about smell, theft and public-safety burdens.

Ryan Hoyer, speaking for the applicant, said his team proposed allowing cultivation and micro-cultivation in the I-1 and I-2 zones subject to a special permit and state licensing oversight. "A special permit is a discretionary permit that this commission would have control over whether or not to issue," Hoyer told commissioners, adding the draft regulations would require odor-mitigation plans, security plans and a DCP (Department of Consumer Protection) license before operations could begin.

The application was presented on behalf of Brent Smith, owner of the greenhouse operation identified in the record as Hydroclonics (35 Diana Court). Smith told the commission he withdrew a prior application in 2024 and returned after changes in state law that he said allow social-equity cultivation licenses to partner with existing hemp producers. "We are asking to grow a legal agricultural product with medicinal properties in the state of Connecticut and ship it out of the town of Cheshire," Smith said in remarks read to the commission.

Why it matters: The change would remove cultivators from a…