By GREG VINE For The Athol Daily NewsPublished: 11/8/2021 1:53:58 PMModified: 11/8/2021 1:54:01 PM
ATHOL — Athol’s Board of Planning and Community Development voted at its meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 3, to grant a special permit to Green Speed Delivery for the establishment of a marijuana delivery service and limited cannabis processing and manufacturing operation at 41 Exchange St., the former site of Plotkin Furniture. The vote came following the completion of a public hearing on the proposal.
In a presentation to the board, Sean Coleman, a partner in the venture, discussed the steps taken to address concerns raised during the first portion of the public hearing on Oct. 6, as well as in discussion with various town departments.
“Some of the feedback we received from DPW was regarding wastewater,” said Coleman. “We’ve agreed to a condition of the special permit to allow for sampling of phosphorous and nitrogen, and also certification that there’s an adequate water supply.
“I believe the main water line broke at some point on the property, and will need to be reconnected. So, as a condition of approval, we’ve agreed to reconnect it.”
Another concern raised early in the process was access to the municipal parking lot.
“We don’t own the property,” Coleman explained, “we would just be leasing it, and the owner of the property has already reached out to the town manager and has gotten in touch with his attorney to work out some deed agreement or easement agreement for access to the municipal lot.”
One issue that has arisen regarding nearly every proposed cannabis-related business, including Green Speed, has been that of odor control.
“We submitted a supplement to our original package that has very detailed odor control plan,” Coleman told the board. “It outlines specifics about how we’re going to make sure the odor doesn’t escape.”
Referring to a graphic provided in his PowerPoint presentation to the BPCD, Coleman said, “I wanted to provide … an example of some of the technology that we plan to use, and companies we could work with, that would reduce the odor.
“Not only will the layout of the building be designed so the odor is trapped, but all the doors and windows will be sealed, and there will be an HVAC system that removes and eliminates the odor at the same time.”
Coleman then assured the board that Green Speed was “committed” to working with the town’s public safety departments to secure approval of the company’s emergency response and fire safety plans.
“We submitted a detailed plan in our supplement that goes through all the different safety features that we have,” he said. “With regard to the fire suppression system, it obviously requires water, so that ties into issue of reconnecting the water. One of the issues that was raised was that we have to get approval from the fire department to make sure the fire suppression system is adequately supplied, and we will do that.”
Another issues Coleman addressed was that of aesthetics.
“Lastly,” he continued, “there were some questions about the renderings that we had last time. The had kind of a green signs and stone façade, and it was more of a modern look and feel.
“It wasn’t particularly well received, and since we didn’t take it personally, we went back to the drawing board.”
He then provided a picture of what the building looks like now, along with several historical photos of what the building has looked like over the years, beginning in 1872.
“We want to incorporate some of the historical elements that make the building what it is,” he said. “We wanted to let the board know … after talking with you, Eric (Planning and Development Director Eric Smith), and some others, we believe it’s easier for us, and it better ties into the community, to keep the historic profile.”
“Are you going to keep the brick structure in front?” asked board member Jacqueline Doherty “Yes,” Coleman responded. “We want to spruce it up but keep the historical elements, and ideally keep the sign there as well.”Doherty also asked about the current condition of the building’s interior.
“Not great,” said Coleman. “It’s pretty run down in there. It needs to be brought up to code and made safe — mostly the fire and security measures are what we would focus on. And then, regarding the garage, we would clean it up and paint it and bring it up to modern standards and mechanize the doors and add some sealing so there’s no odor escaping or anything like that.”
The board’s vote to approve Green Speed’s special permit was unanimous.
If there is within 21 days no appeal of the permit being granted, Green Speed’s next step would be to negotiate a host community agreement with the town, after which Gomes and business partner Nick Gomes will seek a provisional license from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com