Planning board approves minor site plan for medical cannabis grow; members call for updated ordinance

The Planning Board voted to approve a minor site plan "as presented," authorizing the applicant to proceed with required work toward a medical cannabis grow operation but stopping short of allowing expanded operations until buildings meet town building-code requirements.

Board Chair asked for a motion and a board member moved, "I move that we approve the minor site plan as presented." A second was noted and the board voted by hand/voice; the motion passed. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript.

Staff member Aaron told the board the approval allows the applicant to "operate up to but under 10,000 square feet" for planning-review purposes but made clear this is not a green light to begin full-scale growing: "you still don't have the space that is code compliant with the building codes to operate any further than you are at this point." Aaron said each building will need separate inspections and code compliance before expanded operations can begin.

The applicant or their consultant told the board the operation is medicinal and that, under "OCP rules and regulation," product is sold only to licensed caregivers and cannot be taken outside the state. The consultant said the business is familiar with OCP inspections and that the canopy limit is strictly monitored: "we can only grow flower 500 square ft ... we have to ensure that it does not go over the 500. They're very strict and they do conduct unannounced...inspection." The consultant added they help clients follow rules, pay state taxes and sometimes federal taxes.

Several board members raised broader policy concerns. Michelle noted the town's retail-marijuana ordinance has not been updated since 2017 and questioned whether wholesale medical grows fit the ordinance's retail-focused language; other members suggested reviewing ordinances used in nearby towns and getting staff input before proposing updates. One participant remarked that cannabis remains illegal at the federal level and raised practical implications, including firearm-purchase background questions for cardholders.

Members and participants also discussed odor and nuisance concerns. Multiple speakers compared potential cannabis odors to past local complaints about outdoor wood boilers, industrial exhaust and wood-chip piles; staff pointed to ventilation and filtration requirements in the International Building Code as available tools and mentioned carbon-filter/ventilation approaches as mitigation options.

The meeting record includes a statement by an attendee estimating the scale of cannabis-related business revenue in large terms (phrases recorded as "a few hundred million" and "600 over million"). Those amounts were given in the meeting as approximations and were not documented or verified in the record.

The board had no further new or unfinished business, confirmed routine housekeeping items and adjourned.