HATFIELD — Treeworks, the marijuana company aiming to have a cannabis manufacturing and processing facility at a site on Routes 5 and 10, is another step closer to opening.
The Planning Board Wednesday issued the company a special permit to operate at 3 West St., the location of Zapka’s Garden Center and a property owned by Jon and Lori Zapka of Williamsburg
MacKae Freeland, one of the Treeworks founders along with Timothy Kane and Milo Childs Campolo, said the approval means the company can begin negotiating a host community agreement with the Select Board. Once this is done, likely by the end of next week, it will submit a complete application to the state’s Cannabis Cintrol Commission.
“Our timeline to open up for business depends upon how fast we can get our application reviewed and approved by the state,” Freeland said.
Planning Board Chairman Robert Wagner said one condition of the permit is that the site’s septic system must be able to handle two businesses. That will be determined by the Board of Health and shouldn’t hold up the business, Wagner said.
Treeworks would sell the products made on site to dispensaries and retail outlets throughout the state. These products might include edible gummies, a pain salve that is a non-psychoactive cream for achy joints and sore muscles, and tinctures, which are medicinal cannabinoid liquids.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
