Pittsfield Board OKs Site Plan for Cannabis Facility

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A cannabis cultivation facility has received a stamp of approval from the Community Development Board.

On Monday, the panel approved a site plan to outfit a facility at 17 Taconic Park Drive. Elevated Gardens LLC has been working on the venture for several years.

"We have a 2000 square foot unit that will be fitting out the interior of the building and just processing cannabis for cultivation for retailers," Executive Christopher Fazio explained.

He explained that it is a "very small," tier-one cultivation operation, meaning that it is under 5,000 square feet and that there will be about 90 plants in flower at one time.

Fazio reported that there will be zero-to-little runoff for wastewater and if there is, he will get it lab-tested to make sure it is not polluting the sewer and public water. There is also an odor mitigation plan that will be checked by a third party.

Board member Gary Levante said his primary question was about the odor mitigation plan and recognized that it will be reviewed by a third party.

"I don’t have any major concerns over the proposed project," he said.

City Planner Jacinta Williams reported that a couple of companies have reached out with proposals for the third-party review and that they will be passed on to Fazio.

The site plan was approved with the conditions:

• Complaints related to odor are evaluated in conjunction with the odor management plan and if necessary, the board may require the applicant to provide mitigation to address odor-related impacts resulting from the project and the cost will be borne by the applicant.
   
• Concerns identified by the city's third-party review related to their odor mitigation plan are addressed prior to receiving building permits.
   
• Any lighting downward casting does not trespass off-site.
  
   
• Recommendations and requirements from the engineering department be met prior to seeking a certificate of occupancy.
   
• The applicant shall confirm that they meet the required standards for signage.
   
• The applicant is subject to all other federal, state, and local rules and regulations not specifically covered by the granting of this special permit.

According to an executive summary by the Cannabis Control Commission, the applicant and municipality executed a Host Community Agreement in August 2018 and, in 2019, the commission received a municipal response from the municipality stating the applicant was in compliance with all local ordinances and bylaws.

In other news, the board determined that subdivision approval was not required for a plan of land at 0 Cascade St. and for a plan of land located at 1664 North St.

The North Street property separates a bank from a residential property, with the property line straddling the boundary of Lanesborough and Pittsfield.

The board also voted to serve as the petitioner to amend Chapter 23 of the city code zoning ordinance with battery energy storage system overlay districts.

"This came about because we had an inquiry come in about one of the parcels in Pittsfield. It's about 240 acres of just really nice forest land and I thought, 'Well, let me check the ordinance,' and we don't have anything in our ordinance," Williams explained.

"So yes, I definitely felt like we needed to put something together so that we weren't just really vulnerable and not able to be in a defensible position so that's what I presented. It has gone before the city solicitor. He has had very few, if any changes. It's really just language at this point. As far as he's concerned, everything looks good so we are able to put this out for a notice of public hearing tomorrow if everyone agrees that they would like to move forward with being the petitioner."

She explained that there will still be time to make changes but with this motion, they can get the clock going and be prepared with parameters if the application does come in.

Board members were happy to act as the petitioner and be proactive on the issue.

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