Skowhegan planning board tables appeal for proposed medical cannabis grow at 667 Waterville Road

The Skowhegan Planning Board on Tuesday moved to table an appeal of a staff denial for a proposed medical cannabis cultivation facility at 667 Waterville Road until its March 3 meeting to allow staff to obtain additional safety and security documentation and input from the police chief.

The board’s chair opened the hearing by noting the appeal had been filed after the staff review committee rejected the minor site-plan application. Applicant Albert Kang, who identified himself as the applicant/representative for the property owner, told the board he relied on prior guidance from the town’s former code-enforcement officer and that the tenant’s license from the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) had been inspected and approved by state inspectors.

Kang told the board the project team had made multiple upgrades requested by town staff and the fire department — installing additional egress, exit signs and a lockbox for fire-department access — and that the buildings on the property now have multiple cameras and motion-activated lighting. He said the owners have spent roughly $75,000 so far on site work and compliance, including about $25,000 for a new septic system discovered during site work. “We are almost $75,000 out of pocket,” Kang said.

Board members and the applicant debated whether the property’s combined spaces put the operation over the town’s 5,000-square-foot threshold that triggers a major site review under the town’s site-plan ordinance. Kang and others discussed OCP licensing limits: Kang said each state license allows up to 1,500 square feet, with additional numeric limits for canopy and clone areas; town staff explained the local ordinance treats the encompassing use across buildings differently and that measurements of which building areas count toward the threshold were part of staff’s review.

Fire Chief (speaker 7) told the board he had raised concerns about fire protection and noted that a possible change to NFPA standards could require sprinkler systems for marijuana facilities in the future. He said that, under current codes and the facility’s present operating classification, the operation was being treated under industrial code rather than a marijuana-specific code that would automatically require sprinklers — but that the board and applicant should be aware a future change could impose substantial additional cost.

The board also noted findings of fact from the staff review that identified an undue burden on the town’s public services and that public-safety and utility services did not yet have designs they considered satisfactory. Board members said the fire department’s concerns appeared central to the staff decision; they also said they had not yet received a written security concern from the police chief and would seek the police chief’s specific written input before acting.

Kang told the board the tenant’s OCP license expires April 1 and said he needed the town’s action within a narrow window to avoid license lapse. Board members acknowledged the timing pressure but said they needed the police chief’s response and the outstanding security plan details before they could approve or overturn the staff denial. Committee member (speaker 2) moved to table the appeal and the board voted to hold the matter until the March 3 meeting so applicants and staff could provide the requested documentation and correspondence.

The board asked staff to send a letter to the police chief requesting clarification of any security concerns and asked the applicant to provide a clear, written security plan listing camera locations, motion detectors, locks and other controls. The motion to table was carried and the board scheduled the appeal for further consideration at the March 3 meeting. The meeting then moved on to brief other business and adjourned.