BETHEL – Bethel Planning Board members last Wednesday approved an application by Gabe Stoppini to build a medical marijuana cultivation facility on his property. The vote was 4-2, with members Dwayne Bennett, Mike Charron, Pat McCartney and Neil Scanlon in favor and Cheryl Thurston and Carol Dunn opposed.

 Getting the application approved was a step in the right direction for Stoppini. He condisered last weeks meeting results “great” and that it “brought a lot to the table.”

Abutter Jarrod Crockett said he wished a smell mitigation could have been applied to both of the buildings, something he had lobbied for at the last meeting.

“There should have been odor mitigation put on both buildings and that should have been an easy condition,” Crockett said. “It’s something we should all be aware of when we vote next June.”

The board debated last meeting whether they had the authority to add adjustments to an already existing building. The town’s attorney, Nick Katsiaficas, who was hired to help the board understand the relationship between the greenhouse and the new proposed facility, produced a letter explaining that they do not have the authority to link the two buildings together.

“The proposed development is the two-story 12,000-square foot building, it’s not the existing greenhouse. It will be used as part of the operation but it’s not the proposed development that’s in front of you,” Katsiaficas said. “You don’t have the authority to attach conditions to an existing greenhouse.”

Despite Katsiaficas’ letter, Crockett still wondered how the smell will be mitigated.

“We don’t see how the addition of a 12,000-square foot facility onto the same site is going to mitigate that,” Crockett said. “In the interest of being good neighbors, if the conditions put on, and we can mitigate the smell as much as possible and add the odor mitigations to both systems, we’re good with that.”

Crockett said he spoke on behalf of other abutters, who were also concerned about the smell.

Resident Scott Hynek, who lives nearby, spoke in defense of Stoppini’s facility being approved.

“I regard Gabe Stoppini as just another farmer. Like any other farmer, he’s taken a risk, he has to work hard and maybe there sometimes is going to be a little smell,” Hynek said. “I recognize the legitimate medical benefits, I’m in favor of this.”

Thoughts on decision

Crockett brought up future issues that could arise, considering the proposed ordinances made by the committee contain no setbacks.

“Wait until it happens next to a church. It’s going to be interesting when it goes near a daycare center. If they regulated it right, everything could be done correctly,” Crockett said. “How do you implement it in a small town where you’re affecting people so close together?”

Crockett said he lobbied for medical marijuana in Washington D.C. and made it clear that the smell is his main concern.

“We don’t care what someone does on their own property. It’s not about the product, it’s not about marijuana, it’s about the smell,” he said.

Crockett said he does not plan to pursue the issue any further, but said people should be aware of how this situation ended for him and the abutting neighbors he spoke for.

“This could be a cautionary tale that no matter how long or how deep your roots are in an area, that this is a cautionary tale that can happen to anybody,” Crockett said.

Facility plans

The approved facility will be licensed to purchase marijuana plants and seeds from other cultivation facilities. The facility will then cultivate, prepare and package the marijuana.

Stoppini also plans to have employees work at the building.

Stoppini said he plans to have the construction of the site begin “as soon as possible.”