Refer madness in district 1

Some of the rich white folks in district 1 have taken a stand against Doug Stephen's approach to saving the family farm and preserving a large chunk of land as open sp[ace. A Southboro resident who should have no say in what Framingahm does with it's farm land has made up unsubstantiated claims that the pot growing business will effect their property. I've seen the Planning Board meeting where a few residents spoke about air quality and the safety of wild animals roaming the woods. I cannot fathom why educated people in that district allow themselves to be sucked into propaganda   about growing pot. IMO, much of this could have and should have been explained at the planning board meetings by experts and regulators. This would have helped residents to understand what exactly will happen there. In 2016, 15k voters voted to legalize marijuana, included of which was growing marijuana. I can't believe after all these years I'm hearing another reefer madness story.  

Also, watch to see if the Mayor has taken more money from the operators that the State has allowed in the Host Agreement.

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham is on track to have its first marijuana grow facility on Eastleigh Farm — but a large group of abutters and residents are asking the city to pump the breaks on the decision. A petition with 90 signatures from Framingham and Southborough residents circulated around the city and asks that the Planning Board's approval of the facility be repealed.

The petition claims the application did not provide adequate evidence, including data and engineering analysis, of the facility's effects on the farm and the neighboring environment. The petition also claims the Planning Board's decision is not supported by Framingham's Zoning By-Laws, specifically, the board's categorization of the proposal having a minor site plan review instead of a major site plan review.

The proposed facility is being spearheaded by Commonwealth Farm 1761, a company backed by Hollywood actor and Boston native Jonathan Tucker. The company plans on building a two-and-a-half-acre marijuana cultivation and manufacturing facility in the middle of the 112-acre parcel of land at Eastleigh Farm. While cultivation and manufacturing will be the main purpose of the facility, Commonwealth Farm has marketed the plan as a means to save Eastleigh Farm.

According to the company's business plan, the rent money will help save Eastleigh Farm and allow it to maintain their existing operations on the property. At a meeting with the Planning Board, the company's attorney said the owner of the farm has control of the land and has no plans of further development. The company collaborated on a video with Eastleigh Farm, outlining the farm's importance to the community and the push to save it.

Eastleigh Farm is one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land in the city.

Eastleigh Farm has been struggling to stay afloat for years. The land was bought in 2002 by the current owner, Doug Stephan, with the intention of saving it from development and reconverting it into a dairy farm. By 2015 the farm stopped selling dairy products and focused efforts on rebranding and bringing new business in.

A court petition against the Framingham Planning Board was filed on Sept. 5 by Caroline Rossen, a Southborough resident, that included the 90 signatures from abutting residents. The petition mentions how previous attempts at developing parts of the farm were blocked, with one reason a proposal in 2018 was blocked being a lack of access for construction vehicles to the site.

The petition also specifically mentions a need for detailed data of the proposed mechanical design of the ventilation/exhaust system, the capacity of the mechanical plant, noise levels and remediation designs. Property values and livability were mentioned in the petition, reading in part, "This application does not include any provisions about the Applicant's financial accountability for potential adverse effect of their operations on the neighborhood."

During the Planning Board's initial meeting to review Commonwealth Farms' application, a handful of residents voiced concerns. The biggest questions were focused on the odor the facility might produce and traffic mitigation. The Commonwealth 1761 team assured the board the building will be equipped with carbon filtration systems to control any odors. As for traffic, the company plans to hire 100 full- and part-time workers, many of whom will park at an offsite location and take a shuttle into the facility.

The company's lawyer, Adam Fine, told Patch the petition is inaccurate. "Commonwealth Farms has been incredibly transparent through this process and the application was incredibly thorough," he said.

Countering some points made by the petition, Fine said there has been no evidence that shows living near a marijuana cultivation/production facility would hurt property values. He added that issues concerning noise and odor are handled during the licensing process so that they never come to fruition once a facility is running. "As part of the licensing process, you can't have odor, if you have odor, the state's not going to renew your license," he said.

Offering kudos to the city, Fine said Framingham has some of the most thorough and stringent processes he'd seen in the state and had full confidence that the Planning Board followed appropriate protocol. "Commonwealth Farm wants to have an ongoing dialogue about the facility — no call goes unanswered for them," Fine said.

The petitioners also wrote a letter to the Mayor Yvonne Spicer and had a private meeting with her to discuss their concerns. The letter to the mayor highlights concerns that public input was not equally taken into account during the review of the Commonwealth's application.

The letter reads in part:

"We believe that there are flaws in the protocol process that was followed and that a broad and open public discussion that addresses concerns of the local community should precede any meaningful decision. It is a matter of public interest that should be decided in partnership with local community - not in the backrooms."

Patch reached out to Framingham spokeswoman Kelly McFalls but did not receive a response.

In Commonwealth Farms business plan, the company plans on adding 30 full-time executive jobs and approximately 100 cultivation jobs, in addition to hiring qualified, local contractors and vendors. Salaries are not specified in the application but employees will be paid "a living wage ," with full benefits included.

As for monetary benefits to the city, the application states, "A Host Community Agreement with significant monetary donations will provide the City with additional financial benefits beyond local property taxes."