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Julia Germaine of Manna Wellness has been seeking to open a medical marijuana facility in Pittsfield for some three years now.

Medical Marijuana Dispensary Eyed For Pittsfield's Callahan Drive

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Manna Wellness has received the site plan approval to move forward with permitting for a medical marijuana facility on Callahan Drive.
 
The company has been trying to open a dispensary in Pittsfield since voters passed the ballot question allowing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Since 2013, the company has been trying to secure a permit to operate a facility and had eyed a site off of West Street in Pittsfield.
 
Now, the company has chosen a vacant lot to build the retail-only facility for medical marijuana patients on Callahan Drive, off of West Housatonic Street and next to the Dollar General and Ice River Springs.
 
"We have provisional licenses from the state of Massachusetts' Department of Public Health to operate three registered marijuana dispensaries. This will be a retail only site on Callahan Drive," CEO Julia Germaine told the Community Development Board on Monday.
 
The Community Development approved the site plan and next Manna would be required to receive a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Germaine said the building will be single-story and be about 3,500 square feet. 
 
"This dispensary is accessible to licensed patients only. It is not open to the public," she said. "Our goal is to create a welcoming patient experience that fits the community and the geography without compromising the safety of our patients and employees."
 
The parking will be out front, deliveries in a secured location in the back, and there will multiple security measures in place.
 
"DPH regulations dictate intensive security measures," she said.
 
Engineer Dan Lovett from Hill Engineering said there is nothing on the current site and he expects very little of the new development would be visible for anyone not on Callahan Drive.
 
"The existing site right now, there is nothing there. It is just an open field. There are already utilities out in the street that is used by Ice River Springs," Lovett said. 
 
Behind the building is mostly wooded and there is a rise in elevation, he said. From West Housatonic Street, the view of the site is "mostly obscured by Dollar General and Fontaines. We are about half way up, close to the cul-de-sac," Germaine said.
 
Germaine did add that there is a break in the tree line behind the site of about 25 to 30 feet in which may allow some visibility of the facility's roof from another street over. But, mostly, the site is hidden.
 
The proposal is expected to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals next Wednesday. The ZBA had just recently denied a special permit for another company looking to open a dispensary on East Street because of the location and proximity to a day care, parks, and schools. However, Callahan Drive is further removed from any residential, schools, or parks and is zoned in a light industrial area.
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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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