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Lakeville planning board adopts fees for adult‑use marijuana special permits and site plans
Summary
The Town of Lakeville Planning Board held a public hearing and voted to adopt a $240 special‑permit fee and a $1,000 site‑plan review fee for adult‑use marijuana retailers, and clarified how the change will be advertised and enforced.
The Town of Lakeville Planning Board voted on Jan. 10 to add fees for adult‑use marijuana special permits and for site‑plan approval, adopting a $240 special‑permit fee and a $1,000 site‑plan review fee for marijuana retailers.
The board opened a public hearing on amendments to its rules and regulations to add a special‑permit fee for adult‑use marijuana establishments and a site‑plan approval fee. Planning board members and staff confirmed the town’s authority to set the fees and discussed how the change must be advertised. Janice, a town staff member, said the board’s previous practice — posting the item on the agenda without newspaper notice — had been superseded by advice from the town council, and that the amendment would be advertised both in the newspaper and on the meeting agenda.
The board debated how to present the fee change and then voted to adopt the fees. A planning board member moved to "move forward with these special permit fee increase" and specified the two amounts; another member seconded. The board recorded a unanimous voice vote in favor.
Board members also directed that applicants for special permits pay the certified‑mail postage and return‑receipt cost for abutter notifications. A staff member explained the town charges $10 for the abutters list from the assessor and that certified‑mail postage (about $6.80 per addressee) would be billed to applicants. The board voted to attach that postage/return‑receipt cost to special‑permit applications.
Members stressed steps to avoid procedural mistakes: one member noted that any change to rules and regulations requires a public hearing, a point reinforced by town counsel. The board agreed to follow town council guidance on public notice going forward.
The board also discussed related procedural items: the need for an updated site plan from applicants if a business model changes, and the town planner’s review before accepting previous plans that had been altered. Members raised operational concerns about potential traffic and crowding at dispensaries, citing reports from other towns that have allowed recreational sales; members said measures such as appointment systems could be used to regulate peak flows but made no formal direction beyond requiring complete site plans.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the special‑permit fee ($240) and the site‑plan review fee ($1,000) and approved billing applicants for certified‑mail postage and return receipts for abutter notifications. The motions passed by voice vote.
