Letter: Cannabis Cultivation in Williamstown

To the Editor:

Williamstown voters will soon be making decisions about cannabis cultivation. After a year of consultation, public forum, debate, site visits and research the Planning Board is proposing changes to the current bylaws that would restrict where and how cannabis can be grown.

The proposed bylaw:

- increases the setback from property lines to 150 ft; today it is 25 ft.
- stipulates a minimum setback from a neighboring residence of 500 ft; today there is none.
- requires fencing to be screened with vegetation or hidden behind topography; today no screening is required.
- requires that all activity (such as tool sheds and storage barns) associated with growing cannabis be inside the fence, and the fence be at least 150 ft from the property line; today no requirement exists.
- disallows large indoor warehouse facilities to be constructed in rural Williamstown; today they could be built.
- requires 25 percent on-site renewable energy and a waste management plan for resource intensive indoor facilities; today no such requirements exist.

The proposal does not change the size of the allowable canopy for a licensee (2.3 acres), but it does add a restriction that a landowner can’t exceed that maximum by leasing to multiple licensees on a single property.
In short, the proposed bylaw doesn’t lessen current restrictions. It increases protections to residences yet provides sufficient economic opportunity for farmers. It's a balanced approach.
If you would like to support farmers and protect farmland, but you want to minimize the potential impacts of cannabis cultivation, vote yes.

For more information, visit the Town of Williamstown website or contact the Planning Board at planningboard@williamstownma.gov.

Stephanie Boyd
Boyd is chair of the Williamstown Planning Board.

Williamstown Fire District Dedicates New Station

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
06:37AM / Sunday, May 31, 2026

Chief Jeffrey Dias recognizes firefighter Alexandra Riggs, who will graduate from Williams College next week. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Massachusetts fire marshal came to town Saturday to congratulate the local Fire District and the taxpayers of Williamstown for the "amazing" station they have built on Main Street.

 

"I travel around the state, and I've seen hundreds of firehouses around the state — some great, some not so great," Fire Marshal Jon Davine told a crowd gathered outside the station for its dedication. "And I think we saw what the previous station here was in Williamstown. I'll tell you, especially in Western Massachusetts, we have a really big problem with deteriorating firehouses throughout Western Mass. These buildings are collapsing around our firefighters.

 

"And, as the marshal, it's my job to advocate for the departments for more funding. We've been working with our state reps and local reps and the fire chiefs association, trying to come up with different funding streams, so that we can help these departments build new stations, do better, safer stations, so that they have the equipment and the building they deserve to do their job safely."

 

The chair of the Prudential Committee, which governs the Fire District, and the chief of the department both thanked Williamstown residents for the 2023 special district meeting vote that paved the way for the station that went into operation earlier this year.

 

"It's an honor and a privilege to join you today as we celebrate this grand opening of the new firehouse," Chief Jeffrey Dias said. "This facility is so much more than a building that houses fire trucks. It stands as a symbol of our community's commitment to safety, preparedness and public service. It's a place where our members will maintain our equipment. They will learn about our craft. They'll share meals and, yes, from time to time, they're going to share sorrow.

 

"This isn't a fire station. This is a firehouse. And people have heard me say this a million times already. And it houses the very best second family that one could imagine."

 

Dias was joined at the podium set up in the parking lot for the noon ceremony by Prudential Committee Chair David Moresi, state Rep. John Barrett III and the the Rev. William F. Cyr, who gave an invocation.