Council debates redoing Route 72 redevelopment plan to enable a cannabis grow facility; application-and-denial strategy proposed

Committee members spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing the Route 72 redevelopment plan and how to handle potential cannabis-related businesses on that property. Committee member (S3) said the current redevelopment plan allows only warehouse uses and asked whether the town should redo the plan to allow additional uses.

Committee member (S3) described a two-step approach: authorize Tom to revise the redevelopment plan to include grow facilities and other uses, submit an application for a grow facility, and—if the application is denied—use that denial as the basis to formally revise the redevelopment plan. "We authorize Tom to redo the redevelopment plan to include all of those uses, including the Grove facility, then do the application for the Grove facility, have them deny it, and then we don't have to redo the redevelopment plan for so," S3 said.

Members also discussed cannabis-specific restrictions and whether to amend the ordinance. Committee member (S3) said the town had been asked to amend the ordinance and that an email response had indicated the need for an ordinance amendment to allow cannabis uses: "They did they did put it in writing, and they said no," S3 said, referring to an email reply.

No formal action was taken at this meeting to adopt a revised redevelopment plan or to amend the ordinance. Members agreed to convene the committee and meet with Tom to clarify allowed uses and next procedural steps before any formal proposal is submitted to the commission.