The Farmington Planning Board tabled a proposal for a medical marijuana dispensary on Monday, in order to give residents more time to voice their concerns.
About 10 people attended the meeting Monday night, which Planning Board member Clayton King took as an indication that there's a lot of public interest in the dispensary plan.
"We never see anybody show up here," said King. "There's definitely interest."
The board voted 4-1, with Ray Stillman opposed, to table the issue. A public hearing regarding the dispensary, proposed for the former Rite Aid on Wilton Road, will be on July 12. The board indicated it would also take a vote at that meeting.
Luke Sirois, who owns Western Maine Electrical and Excavation in Farmington, has been seeking approval to have dispensaries in several communities around the state. The towns of Farmingdale and Wilton granted him site plan approvals earlier this month.
Sirois's concept is to construct comprehensive treatment centers for medical marijuana patients. The dispensary portion, where the marijuana would be sold, is only part of his proposal.
At all of the sites, Sirois would also construct a greenhouse, a garden center and offices for health specialists. Each center, which he would call Ahead Care, would employ six to 10 people.
Even if the planning board eventually approves the dispensary, the entire plan would still be contingent upon the state's approval.
State voters approved medical marijuana dispensaries in November. Following the referendum, a task force appointed by Gov. John Baldacci developed rules stipulating how the dispensary system would work in its first year. The task force decided to divide the state into eight districts with one dispensary allowed in each.
The Department of Health and Human Services will announce who will run the eight dispensaries on July 9.
Both the former Rite Aid in Farmington and the Wilton site, a vacant building by Dexter Supply on U.S. Route 2, fall into the western Maine district.
If the state selects Sirois to operate the western Maine dispensary and the planning board grants him approval, he would chose between the two sites.
Sirois said the Wilton site is "the one we're leaning toward."
In his application to the Planning Board, Sirois said construction on the building would begin in the late summer or early fall and would be completed in December.
The former Rite Aid, which has been vacant for about two years, is in the village business zone. Because dispensaries aren't defined in the zoning ordinance, the town is treating it like a retail store, said Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser.
Many communities throughout the state have enacted moratoriums on medical marijuana dispensaries in order to develop local zoning restrictions for the new use. The only zoning restriction in the state's rules is that dispensaries have to be at least 500 feet from schools.
Kaiser said selectmen discussed amending the town's zoning ordinance to add specific requirements for dispensaries, but ultimately decided it wasn't necessary.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Morning Sentinel
Author: Leslie Bridgers
Copyright: 2010 MaineToday Media, Inc.
About 10 people attended the meeting Monday night, which Planning Board member Clayton King took as an indication that there's a lot of public interest in the dispensary plan.
"We never see anybody show up here," said King. "There's definitely interest."
The board voted 4-1, with Ray Stillman opposed, to table the issue. A public hearing regarding the dispensary, proposed for the former Rite Aid on Wilton Road, will be on July 12. The board indicated it would also take a vote at that meeting.
Luke Sirois, who owns Western Maine Electrical and Excavation in Farmington, has been seeking approval to have dispensaries in several communities around the state. The towns of Farmingdale and Wilton granted him site plan approvals earlier this month.
Sirois's concept is to construct comprehensive treatment centers for medical marijuana patients. The dispensary portion, where the marijuana would be sold, is only part of his proposal.
At all of the sites, Sirois would also construct a greenhouse, a garden center and offices for health specialists. Each center, which he would call Ahead Care, would employ six to 10 people.
Even if the planning board eventually approves the dispensary, the entire plan would still be contingent upon the state's approval.
State voters approved medical marijuana dispensaries in November. Following the referendum, a task force appointed by Gov. John Baldacci developed rules stipulating how the dispensary system would work in its first year. The task force decided to divide the state into eight districts with one dispensary allowed in each.
The Department of Health and Human Services will announce who will run the eight dispensaries on July 9.
Both the former Rite Aid in Farmington and the Wilton site, a vacant building by Dexter Supply on U.S. Route 2, fall into the western Maine district.
If the state selects Sirois to operate the western Maine dispensary and the planning board grants him approval, he would chose between the two sites.
Sirois said the Wilton site is "the one we're leaning toward."
In his application to the Planning Board, Sirois said construction on the building would begin in the late summer or early fall and would be completed in December.
The former Rite Aid, which has been vacant for about two years, is in the village business zone. Because dispensaries aren't defined in the zoning ordinance, the town is treating it like a retail store, said Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser.
Many communities throughout the state have enacted moratoriums on medical marijuana dispensaries in order to develop local zoning restrictions for the new use. The only zoning restriction in the state's rules is that dispensaries have to be at least 500 feet from schools.
Kaiser said selectmen discussed amending the town's zoning ordinance to add specific requirements for dispensaries, but ultimately decided it wasn't necessary.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Morning Sentinel
Author: Leslie Bridgers
Copyright: 2010 MaineToday Media, Inc.
