The Planning Board had a frank and often tense discussion with outgoing Selectboard Chairman Sean Stanton over which board should be the special permit-granting authority for marijuana establishments.
If voters approve the Great Barrington bylaw, indoor cultivation of marijuana of the sort envisioned in the mills will be permitted by-right in the light industrial zone that covers much of Housatonic.
"The new zone would continue to allow retail and commercial establishments, like the current B-2, but it would also allow for a variety of residential uses."
-- Great Barrington Town Planner Chris Rembold
Berkshire Aviation Enterprises Inc. is asking the town for a special permit for three new, prefabricated metal hangars 147 feet long by 50 feet wide, 18 parking spaces, a new taxi way and an access road off Seekonk Cross Road.
“Until last week the school did not understand the location, the size, or the timing of the project. We’re just attempting to collect as much information as possible to share with our families, hear their concerns, and work with Kearsarge Energy to bring about a solution.
-- Tom Sternal, president of the board of trustees at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School
The Planning Board unanimously approved Plaza owner KIMCO Realty’s plans to divide the current Kmart building into as many as three stores. In any case, Marshall's is scheduled to open in the fall of 2017.
The entire area around Lake Mansfield is a delicate ecosystem surrounded by homes on a hill from which storm water and sediment run into the lake. Simply repaving the road won’t solve any of this, and town officials say such a measure will simply increase car speeds.
