WILLIAMSBURG – The Planning Board has scheduled a listening session on Feb. 28 to discuss altering the town’s recreational marijuana bylaws.
“We need to update,” said Stephen Smith, chairman of the Planning Board.
The meeting will take place at the town offices at 7 p.m. and can also be attended through Zoom.
Smith said that since the bylaws were passed in 2018, the Cannabis Control Commission has defined other marijuana entities that aren’t covered by Williamsburg’s bylaws — including craft marijuana cooperatives and microbusinesses.
“The state has updated their definitions of these types of establishments,” Smith said, adding that incorporating these new business types into the town bylaws is mostly housekeeping.
“We don’t think there’s much controversy,” he said.
Another reason for the listening session is to determine whether the public is interested in putting restrictions on the size of grow operations in town, according to Smith.
“Some of these cultivation operations can end up looking very industrial,” he said. “We want to check in with the town.”
Although Williamsburg has had a marijuana bylaw in place for years, Smith said an application for a marijuana business has not been filed with the town as of yet.
“We’ve had some interest but we’ve not had any formal applications,” he said.
Town Administrator Nicholas Caccamo noted the 500-foot buffer from the property line of a school for a marijuana business in the town’s bylaws and that the location of the Anne T. Dunphy School rules many areas off limits.
“Williamsburg Center is roughly off limits,” he said.
Additionally, Caccamo said there are limited parcels on Route 9 for redevelopment.
Last year Williamsburg did post a request for those interested in operating recreational marijuana businesses in town to submit applications to the town in a request for information, with applicants potentially being invited to negotiate a host community agreement with the Select Board. The RFI has received no formal applications, however.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.