Adams Planners Continue Marijuana Bylaw Discussion
ADAMS, Mass. — The Planning Board is undecided on whether to allow medical or recreational marijuana retailers in the downtown.
The bulk of Monday's board workshop focused on where a medical marijuana retail facility could be located, however, with no consensus, the members agreed to look at a draft bylaw and come to compromise at a future meeting.
"Just following this discussion, I think we have the beginning of a bylaw and if the board will give me the time to make a draft we can have another discussion and narrow down the specifics," Community Development Director Donna Cesan said.
The Selectmen provided a medical marijuana retailer with a letter of non-opposition some months ago and with recreational marijuana becoming legal at the state level, the Planning Board agreed to get some Adams-specific bylaws on the books.
The bylaw can contain a buffer zone that would dictate how far a retail facility would have to be from a school or a church. The state default buffer is 500 feet, which would prohibit a retail facility in the immediate downtown.
Chairwoman Sandra Moderski said she was in favor of the 500-foot buffer and segregating a retail facility to the industrial park or a B-2 district. The B-2 district mostly represents the corridors into town.
"I am against it being in the downtown," she said. "I don't think it belongs there."
Police Chief Richard Tarsa suggested at least a 300-foot buffer that would also keep a facility out of the downtown.
Tarsa requested that the facility be in a free-standing building with its own parking lot. He said he feared if the facility was downtown, it would create too many parking issues.
"There is no facility in the downtown that can handle this flow of traffic, that's the plain truth," he said. "I can see this coming and it will be a nightmare."
Board member David Krzeminski felt if the facility was downtown the town would have to add more handicapped spots. Krzeminski suggested splitting the difference and have a 250-foot buffer.
Board member Barbara Ziemba said she did not think the traffic flow would be that big of an issue.
"They could go in once a month and get their supply the same as people do with a pharmacy," she said. "I don't see it generating that much traffic."
Tarsa disagreed, saying because the facility would be the only one in North County, it would attract many from surrounding communities.
"You put the only game in town in town, as they say, if you build it they will come," he said.
Ziemba felt a retail facility would be akin to a pharmacy and that a 150-foot buffer would be best. She said anything more would completely lock out the downtown and make Adams unattractive to a new potential business.
"I think if we set the footage too far we are eliminating a lot of good spots," she said. "It would restrict it to a very limited area I think the more footage the less desirable Adams will be."
Board member Martha Stohlmann, although at first advocating a 250-foot buffer, agreed with Ziemba and suggested a special permit process for a facility that would like to locate in the B-1 downtown district.
The board agreed that it did not want growing facilities in the downtown and did not fully discuss a recreational bylaw. Planners did, however, agree that they wanted a different process than for medical marijuana so if a medical facility wanted to also sell recreational, it would have to follow a different standard.
Tags: marijuana, medical marijuana, Planning Board,
