But the conversation brought to mind a date seven days earlier as the board and the public relived many of the same arguments that have dominated the body s discussion for months as it hashes out a new zoning bylaw to regulate the production of cannabis. I ve said this a half dozen times, I m amazed I have to say it again, Andrew Skinner said as he pushed the board to draft a bylaw that allows less canopy square footage for outdoor production. Planning Board members could be forgiven for feeling kinship to Bill Murray s character in the movie Groundhog Day as they heard many of the same arguments from some familiar faces.
WILLIAMSTOWN â A proposal to regulate marijuana cultivation is generating some disagreement among neighbors in rural areas of town.
The proposed zoning bylaw amendment to regulate licensed marijuana cultivation in rural/residential zones is taking shape as the Planning Board prepares to present it at a public hearing in April, the goal being to bring it to a vote at Town Meeting in June.
To pass, the proposal would have to win with at least a two-thirds majority of votes.
Many in the Williamstown farming community are in favor of the proposal, seeing it as a potential new source of revenue that can sustain their operations and enhance their ability to grow food, as well as grow the local economy.
Board member Liz Costley, who has been the point person working with Berkshire Housing Development, shared the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program developed this summer was able recently to help a family stay in their home. One renter is going to utilize $10,000 in a grant from WERAP, Costley said. She owes $12,500, but the landlord, once [BHDC s] Jane Pixley got people talking, decided that $10,000 is better than nothing. So the landlord was willing to drop the $2,500 in return for getting $10,000 in back rent. That s the kind of thing Berkshire Housing is so versed in, and the kind of thing we were hoping to hear. The renter is free and clear going forward. The landlord is fairly happy. And this is how our money is being utilized.
Anne Hogeland, bottom, addresses the Williamstown Planning Board and Town Planer Andrew Groff, top left. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. For more than a year, the Planning Board has been hearing from people with strong opinions about whether the town should allow outdoor cannabis cultivation. On Thursday, one member made a plea for comments who are not quite as invested in the issue. We re going to hear those [strong advocates], and there s a reason they re the ones who are most interested. But you ve got a much larger portion of the town. … That s the stress testing I d like to know. Maybe it s not possible before you put [a bylaw amendment] up there. But I d like to know, for the massive middle of folks, whether [setbacks] ranging from 100 feet to 400 feet, allowing the largest size [plantation] but making it more restrictive, whether these ideas are intuitive to them, whether it makes sense to them, whether it s something they could see in their town.