Residents urge St. Mary's County to block proposed Hollywood cannabis greenhouse near homes and care center
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Summary
Hollywood-area residents told St. Mary's County commissioners that a proposed industrial cannabis greenhouse adjacent to homes and the Center for Life Enrichment would create persistent odors, noise, water and wastewater risks, and complications for residents with federal security clearances, and urged denial or stricter local controls.
Hollywood-area residents urged the St. Mary's County Board of Commissioners to deny or closely scrutinize a proposed industrial cannabis greenhouse sited near homes and the Center for Life Enrichment, telling commissioners the project would harm air quality, water resources and neighborhood livability.
Connor Russell, a lifelong Hollywood resident, told commissioners the proposal “places more than a 158,000 square feet of industrial buildings and greenhouses directly adjacent to residential neighborhoods and within a rural preservation district.” He raised specific concerns about water use and wastewater, saying the plans show multiple wells and "plants up to 7 25000 gallon water storage tanks," and warned that septic outflow shown in the plans could drain toward a nearby stream.
Other speakers described recurring odor, generator noise and light pollution at a similar facility elsewhere in the county. Sophie Newbury said the site sits about one-tenth of a mile from the proposed greenhouse and asked commissioners to weigh impacts on residents who hold federal and military security clearances, saying proximity to cannabis operations "can create real lasting complications related to federal employment standards, background investigations, and career stability." Micah Perry told the board: "Nobody wants a facility like this as a neighbor. It should not be near our residents."
Speakers pressed county officials to check compliance with the county's cannabis ordinance, including the 500-foot residential setback. Several residents said the proposed fencing and septic infrastructure appeared to cross the buffer and urged independent review of setbacks and environmental safeguards. Jim Pendavis told the board his neighborhood sits about 550 feet from the site and the Center for Life Enrichment is about 1,300 feet away; he said the commonly cited 500-foot buffer “has nothing to do with the odor that's actually gonna be coming out from this facility.”
Residents also cited the site's history as ground contaminated by creosote and past industrial use. Multiple speakers asked the county and state regulators for additional soil, water and air testing and for those results to be made publicly available.
Commissioners did not vote on the proposal during the forum; the public comment period closed at the end of the session. County staff told the audience that speakers who left contact information would be contacted with follow-up. The commissioners' next procedural steps on the specific application were not stated at the forum.
