I am sympathetic to all those who are nervous and have elevated anxiety and debilitating depression while facing the next four years. I hear you every day.
George McGurn, who chairs the Egremont Select Board, told The Edge in an interview that the town has no bylaw that addresses retail adult-use or the cultivation of cannabis. The town did enact a bylaw governing medical marijuana several years ago.
Some attendees were also concerned that their property values would decline if a cannabis store was located near them, or that long lines would be difficult to manage.
The property is on a state highway and is not in proximity to any homes on Route 23. However, the site is near the intersection with Taconic Lane and Bott Hill Road, both of which are residential in character.
Valkyrie will have to go through the site-plan review process with the town planning board and negotiate a host community agreement with the selectboard.
In the cannabis industry, trying to raise capital through traditional borrowing is difficult, in part because most commercial banks avoid lending money for marijuana businesses.
When selectboard Chair Steve Bannon opened the floor to comments from the audience, most seemed to agree that, in addition to placing restrictions on the stores, the larger question remains about what kind of image the tourism-minded town wants to project.
The proposal, first made public in September, has alarmed residents of the neighborhood, whose concerns range from noise and odors to the effect of the Fulcrum project on property values and the aforementioned impact on the water supply.
I have always thanked New York Gov. Cuomo for filling Great Barrington’s coffers. It didn’t seem to lower my tax bill, but who pays attention to those things?
Nova Farms President Ross said the company "goal has always been ... to comply with all Mass CCC regulations" and Nova has "worked hand-in-hand with the Mass CCC since our suspensions to make sure that no stone has been left unturned."
The two payments, totaling nearly $140,000 for the first three months of business, "represent a significant sum to the town, which has an annual operating budget of just $25 million," according to Canna provisions.
At Monday's selectboard meeting, member Kate Burke noted that the money cannot be spent yet because it was not budgeted for. The disposition of the funds will be discussed during budget deliberations this fall.
New zoning bylaws would prevent some cannabis retailers from opening merely by restricting the number of available locations. On the other hand, a policy from the selectboard placing a numerical limit would clearly prevent more retailers from opening.
Nova Farms in Sheffield says it will use sustainable methods to minimize its carbon footprint and will also be home to livestock such as Scottish Highland cattle and an apple orchard.
The more I saw of the emerging fight with the Legislature, the more I thought that this was very-clever Andrew saying that he was for legalization but really being the old middle-of-the-road-Democrat Andrew who was actually opposed.
Theory Wellness, the first medical cannabis dispensary to launch in the Berkshires and one of the first recreational retailers to open in the state, has stepped forward to fund and operate a social equity program designed to support "economic empowerment" entrepreneurs in opening cannabis dispensaries.
