Middletown board declares lead agency for Dreamfields cannabis plant after public odor concerns

The City of Middletown Planning Board on Dec. 3 declared its intent to act as lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act for Dreamfields Inc.'s proposed cannabis manufacturing, packaging and distribution operation at 55 Midland Avenue, but stopped short of approving the project pending engineering review of odor-mitigation plans and comments from the neighboring town of Walkill.

Ryan Felencer of Felencer Engineering, representing Dreamfields, told the board the business would be manufacturing and packaging only — no retail sales — with roughly 30 employees per shift over two shifts (about 60 employees total). Felencer said deliveries would typically arrive by a single 53-foot semi “bimonthly,” supplemented by two daily sprinter vans, and that the company would submit HVAC and odor-control plans to the city’s building department during the permit review process.

Kevin Witt, First Ward alderman, told the board he worried about off-site odors and constituent phone calls during pleasant weather. “I’m the person who is gonna get the phone calls when it’s a nice spring day and somebody says I can’t open my window because I’m smelling whatever I’m smelling,” Witt said, asking how residents will report complaints and who will respond.

Thomas Whittel, operations manager for Dreamfields, said the company operates multiple sites and uses HEPA and carbon filtration, air scrubbers and routine on-site audits to prevent odors escaping. “There’s no smells at any of the facilities I’ve been to,” Whittel said, and offered his phone number as a contact for residents who have concerns.

Board members and the board’s engineering consultant, Clark Patterson Lee (CPL), emphasized that Dreamfields did not include a complete odor-mitigation plan in its original submission and that CPL is reviewing the materials now. The chair told the board the planning board would not act on final approval until CPL confirms the mitigation measures are sufficient.

The board voted in favor of the SEQRA lead-agency resolution and authorized distribution of lead-agency coordination notices to involved agencies. The board also voted to adjourn the application for future consideration and to keep the public hearing open so outstanding items — including Walkill’s comment letter and CPL’s odor-mitigation review — can be addressed.

Next steps: CPL will complete its technical review of Dreamfields’ odor-control plan and involved agencies will be notified as part of the SEQRA process. The planning board will revisit the application in a future meeting once those materials and responses are provided.