Charlton residents call for do-over on marijuana farm agreement
CHARLTON – Selectmen “flubbed” when they approved a marijuana farm
host agreement before seeking citizen input, a selectman said Tuesday
night, and now residents are calling for the board to rescind.
The well-attended community meeting on a proposed $100 million project to construct a marijuana cultivation, sales and research center on Charlton Orchards land was held in the 500-seat auditorium at Charlton Middle School.
Valley Green Grow has a purchase agreement for the 94-acre orchard at 44 Old Worcester Road. The company plans to construct an 800,000- to 1.5 million-square-foot, multi-tenant greenhouse to cultivate cannabis for research as well as medical and recreational sales.
At the microphone Tuesday, residents criticized selectmen, saying their process was improper and lacked transparency when they voted on May 15 to grant development and host agreements to the North Andover-based company.
In response, John P. McGrath, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said, “At town meeting, I did say we flubbed this.”
To voter protests at the May 21 town meeting, Mr. McGrath had agreed the board wasn’t as transparent as it should have been.
When asked Tuesday, Mr. McGrath said the board has the option and authority to reconsider its decision and rescind the host and development agreements.
Valley Green Grow attorney Michael D. Rosen of the firm Ruberto, Israel & Weiner said eight cannabis growers are permitted for 1 million square feet or more in North America; the nearest such operation is in Freetown, next to Fall River.
The project, he said, is to be vetted in town by the Police, Fire, and Highway departments; the Board of Health, and the Planning Board. State approvals would be required from the Cannabis Control Commission, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health.
Valley Green Grow is seeking four state licenses: cultivator, produce manufacturer, transporter, and retailer.
Oncologist Jeffrey Goldstein is founder and principal of Valley Green Grow, corporate and limited liability companies established in March 2017. He has assembled a team of experts to move the project forward.
A similar cannabis proposal by Dr. Goldstein and his team in North Andover failed to gain town meeting support in January.
The plan in Charlton calls for a closed greenhouse with an odor mitigation system, a rainwater reclamation system, on-site energy generation, and on-site solid waste composting.
Residents also spoke of concerns with security, the location in a residential neighborhood, property values and traffic.
Valley Green Grow plans to construct in phases and is working to begin construction this year.
The proposal is expected to bring the town more than $2 million in annual fees, as well as all applicable real and property taxes.
The well-attended community meeting on a proposed $100 million project to construct a marijuana cultivation, sales and research center on Charlton Orchards land was held in the 500-seat auditorium at Charlton Middle School.
Valley Green Grow has a purchase agreement for the 94-acre orchard at 44 Old Worcester Road. The company plans to construct an 800,000- to 1.5 million-square-foot, multi-tenant greenhouse to cultivate cannabis for research as well as medical and recreational sales.
At the microphone Tuesday, residents criticized selectmen, saying their process was improper and lacked transparency when they voted on May 15 to grant development and host agreements to the North Andover-based company.
In response, John P. McGrath, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said, “At town meeting, I did say we flubbed this.”
To voter protests at the May 21 town meeting, Mr. McGrath had agreed the board wasn’t as transparent as it should have been.
When asked Tuesday, Mr. McGrath said the board has the option and authority to reconsider its decision and rescind the host and development agreements.
Valley Green Grow attorney Michael D. Rosen of the firm Ruberto, Israel & Weiner said eight cannabis growers are permitted for 1 million square feet or more in North America; the nearest such operation is in Freetown, next to Fall River.
The project, he said, is to be vetted in town by the Police, Fire, and Highway departments; the Board of Health, and the Planning Board. State approvals would be required from the Cannabis Control Commission, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health.
Oncologist Jeffrey Goldstein is founder and principal of Valley Green Grow, corporate and limited liability companies established in March 2017. He has assembled a team of experts to move the project forward.
A similar cannabis proposal by Dr. Goldstein and his team in North Andover failed to gain town meeting support in January.
The plan in Charlton calls for a closed greenhouse with an odor mitigation system, a rainwater reclamation system, on-site energy generation, and on-site solid waste composting.
Residents also spoke of concerns with security, the location in a residential neighborhood, property values and traffic.
Valley Green Grow plans to construct in phases and is working to begin construction this year.
The proposal is expected to bring the town more than $2 million in annual fees, as well as all applicable real and property taxes.
ReplyDeleteThe person who owns this vally green Grow has over 1 billion 300 million in liquid assess your town selectmen should run /fly to asked him to come here templeton for the same deal . but NOPE
BY the accountability notice soon for smart meters TML%W still refusing to establish true notices which is another paper i will be forwarding possible new paper
ReplyDeletehere is some infor web site on RF http://stop5g.whynotnews.eu/?p=658
please watch it ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnro5Tqm2DQ
ReplyDeleteplease watch inform your friends
smart meter = EMF @ 24-7 your whole property Heath consideration not consider only by you learn the truth