Williamstown Planning Board Told to Cap Size of Cannabis Grows

iBerkshires.com reports the Williamstown Planning Board Tuesday agreed it likely can get a cannabis production bylaw to the Select Board by March 8 for inclusion on the annual town meeting warrant, but critics cautioned that the board's current path is unlikely to produce a proposal that meeting will pass.

The board reviewed the most up-to-date proposal for a bylaw amendment it has been considering formally since September and, in reality, for much longer than that. The board is hoping not to repeat last year's failed attempt to implement restrictions on pot production but still allow a pathway for growers via special permit.

The newest iteration limits indoor cannabis production to the town's Limited Industrial Zone and outdoor grows to the Rural Residence 2 and Rural Residence 3 districts. It also incorporates the same sort of odor control incorporated in the bylaw the board sent to town meeting 2020.

On the outdoor side, the board's current draft requires native vegetative screening for the security fencing required by state law for cannabis production sites and restricts outdoor lighting to only that required by the Massachusetts Building Code and/or the Cannabis Control Commission.