The approval of a cannabis cultivation and distribution center on Slater Road in New Britain will be on the table at Tuesday’s Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.
NEW BRITAIN — The city’s Zoning Board of Appeals will consider the controversial approval of a 133,000-square-foot cannabis cultivation and distribution site on Slater Road on Tuesday.
Rocky Hill-based developer CCC Construction wants to convert the old Webster Bank training facility into a cannabis warehouse, a move that some residents have condemned due to risk of smell and proximity to schools.
“I understand their concerns and want to hear the company address them,” New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said.
The ZBA’s public hearing will consider the warehouse for special exception and variance approval. The timeline of construction depends on the approval, according to a spokesperson for Stewart.
“While I recognize that some residents in the area have expressed opposition to the proposal, I don’t believe that their concerns cannot be adequately addressed by the city and the developer,” New Britain resident Daniel Courtney said.
Courtney said he believes the facility would be a good use of the Webster Bank facility, which has been vacant for years. The bank is on the site of the Stanley softball diamond.
“Considering the security measures already in place there, it’s ideally suited to be converted into a production and distribution center for Connecticut’s budding recreational cannabis industry,” Courtney said. “This project promises to bring much-needed tax revenue and jobs to the city.”
Other residents agreed with the financial benefits of the industry on the city, saying the facility is no more of a risk than liquor stores.
If approved, the facility will be 0.7 miles from the CREC Academy of Science and Innovation and 0.6 miles from Gaffney Elementary School. It would also be 0.8 miles from E.C. Goodwin Technical Magnet School.
City Treasurer Danny Salerno believes concerns about proximity to schools should also be extended to liquor stores. There is more than one liquor store within 2 miles of the facility.
“If you want to make comparisons, alcohol is more accessible,” Salerno said. “It’s available to people — it is everywhere. It’s part of our culture, and it isn’t necessarily better for us and it doesn’t mean everybody who drinks is an alcoholic. That’s not at all what I’m saying. The stigma of marijuana that’s been placed on it for 50, 60, 70 years is hard to remove for some people.”
Salerno served on city council from 2013 to 2021 when members created zoning regulations in anticipation of cannabis legalization and businesses like the proposed warehouse.
“My position is that people need to kind of get over the issue of the fact that legalization has taken place and now we need to be able to regulate it as we regulate most anything,” Salerno said.
H/T: www.sheltonherald.com
