Barre Planning Board unanimously approves marijuana cultivation special permit conditions

BARRE -- May 21, 2020, Barre Planning Board gives final approval to marijuana cultivation permit for Dot Road farm. The board voted 4-0 at its May 21 meeting to adopt special permit conditions for the High Hog Farm cannabis cultivation facility, completing an approval process that included a full-board site visit and a virtual hearing on April 21 at which the underlying application was approved. The permit covers outdoor and greenhouse cultivation; the board declined to impose operating hours, citing the rural character of the site and the distance to the nearest neighbor, roughly a quarter mile. Chair Anthony also flagged a typographical error in the town's marijuana bylaw, correcting "cultivation" to "cultivator" in the permit language and flagging the bylaw itself for correction at the next town meeting. The signed permit now enters a 20-day appeal window before recording with Worcester County.