The Norridgewock Planning Board on Thursday approved the conversion of a former chicken barn into a medical marijuana growing facility at 482 Waterville Road.
The vote came after three meetings of debate over the proposal since July.
The decision was narrow, passing 3-2. Chair Jean Lancaster, Vice Chair Chuck Farrand and Andy Leavitt voted in favor, while John Ames and Bruce Obert opposed.
The board set several conditions that must be met before the town issues a permit for the project.
The property is owned by M&M1388, LLC, registered to 667 Waterville Road in Skowhegan. Application materials and state business records name the owner of the LLC and the property as Yan Qiang Mei.
The plan calls for converting a three-story, 220-by-42-foot barn into a medical marijuana cultivation facility, with an existing residence retained for employee housing.
Consultant Albert Kang said in a telephone call Friday that the facility will be operated by tenants licensed by the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy. He declined to say how many.
Kang, who also goes by Cheehaut Kang, said the property owner is his wife’s brother.
Kang and his wife, Suzhu Mei, who are married, assisted with both the Skowhegan and Norridgewock projects and represented the business at planning board meetings.
Kang said in a telephone call Friday that the process in Norridgewock, although lengthy, was fair, and he was pleased with the outcome. “We are quite happy with the town,” Kang said of Norridgewock. “They are very professional.”
The board’s conditions run more than three single-spaced pages and cover how materials and equipment needed for growing cannabis must be stored or disposed of, detailed in a waste management plan and disposal contract.
M&M1388 must drill a new well and get a statement from the well driller on whether it is sufficient for the facility’s operations and whether the project will impact groundwater on neighboring properties.
The business must supply the town with detailed information about its odor control and carbon filtration systems.
It must also provide the town fire department with a key lockbox to access the facility in an emergency and emergency shutoffs for electricity.
Before opening, the business must conduct a comprehensive walkthrough with fire officials and provide an ongoing inventory of hazardous materials and chemicals.
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