Cannabis Establishment Applicant Procedures

Selectboard Office · One Avenue A · Turners Falls, MA 01376 ·

Phone: 413-863-3200 Ext 108 - Fax: 413-863-3231

The Town of Montague Selectboard Office will receive inquiries from parties interested in establishing a cannabis-related business in the community through the professional staff of the Town Administrator’s office. These staff will work with all applicants to ensure they have a thorough understanding of the Town of Montague’s zoning bylaws and other standards that may have relevance to a cannabis business and to connect them with professional staff representing all related departments and committees. Regular committee meeting schedules are described below and may be held remotely, in person at Montague Town Hall, or in a hybrid meeting format.

As per state regulation, a Host Community Agreement must be agreed upon by the operator of any proposed cannabis establishment and the Chief Executive officer(s) of a municipality. In this instance, the Montague Selectboard. For the Selectboard to consider executing a final Host Community Agreement and letter of support to the Cannabis Control Commission for a prospective marijuana establishment licensee, the following tasks must be completed:

1. Submission of an initial letter of intent to the Selectboard that identifies the type of license being sought, project location, project principals, summary of business plan, and description of proponent’s experience developing similar projects. Copies of the letter shall be sent to Planning Board, Board of Health, and Police Department.

The Selectboard may invite the proponent to a regular meeting prior to the following process steps in order to become familiar with the project. All social equity-eligible candidates with a clear proposal for development of an establishment will receive audience with the Selectboard at the onset of their engagement with the Town.

1. 1. Contact: Walter Ramsey, Town Administrator (walterr@montague-ma.gov)
   2. Cost: None
   3. Regular Meeting Date: Every Monday night at 6:30
2. Applicant must have held a Community Outreach Meeting in accordance with Mass Cannabis Control Regulations. The meeting notice should be publicized in the two local papers of record: The Greenfield Recorder and Montague Reporter. The event should be recorded and broadcast by Montague Community Television. The Gill-Montague School District and Franklin County Technical High School shall be notified in addition to other entities required by the CCC. The Community Outreach Hearing will routinely be held concurrent with the Zoning Special Permit and/or Site Plan Approval processes.
   1. Contact: Maureen Pollock, Town Planner (maureenp@montague-ma.gov)
   2. Cost: None
3. The Applicant must have received both Zoning Special Permit and Site Plan Approval from the Special Permit Granting Authority (Either the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals).
   1. Contacts: Maureen Pollock, Town Planner (maureenp@montague-ma.gov) and Bill Ketchen, Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer (buildinginspector@montague-ma.gov)
   2. Cost: Special Permit fee is $50 plus 3$ per abutter to max of $100. Additionally, the applicant is billed for cost of legal ad. Site Plan Review fee is $200 plus $2 per parking space.
   3. Regular Meeting Date: Planning Board, Fourth Tuesday at 6:30pm, monthly. Zoning Board of Appeals, First Tuesday at 6:30pm, monthly.
4. Subsequent to completion of the above tasks and before the granting of a Host Community Agreement or a waiver of such, the applicant must submit to the Board a package containing the following:
   1. Synopsis of the Community Outreach Meeting
   2. Copy of the Special Permit/ Site Plan Review Record of Vote
   3. Copy of licensee’s draft license application to the CCC

The Selectboard reserves its right to prioritize social equity applicants and to withhold support for a host community agreement that it deems not in the best interest of the citizens of the Town of Montague

Account of Existing and Pending License Applications

253 Farmacy, 253 Millers Falls Road in Turners Falls: As of 06.30.24 is licensed for Cultivation, Product Manufacture and Retail Sales. License for Medical Treatment Center pending with the MA CCC.

Flower Power Growers, 180 Industrial Boulevard in Turners Falls: As of 06.30.24 is licensed for Cultivation and Product Manufacture.

No other applications are pending at the present time. The Town of Montague has previously supported license applications filed by the following parties, which were not realized due to their own decisions relative to market opportunity:

HydroFlower, proposed cultivator and product manufacturer at 36 Canal Road in Turners Falls.

Greenhouse Cannabis Group, a social equity applicant proposed to develop a cannabis delivery operation headquartered on East Main Street in Millers Falls.

Note that the Town of Montague has not historically utilized a competitive evaluation process for cannabis license applicants as there is not suffiicient interest in establishment of such businesses within the community and the Town is not approaching the maximum number allowable uder state statute.