PARIS — The Planning Board will hold a public hearing Wednesday to consider whether to approve the first medical marijuana dispensary in town.
Gary Mayer of Paris presented plans to the board two weeks ago on establishing a dispensary at Paris Hill Farms at 783 Park St. The property is being used to cultivate medical marijuana.
Mayer is one of three owners of Bay Street Acquisitions, which also owns Paris Hill Farms. The other two owners are Douglas Knickrehm and John LaRochelle, both of Durham.
All three men have passed the required background checks, Town Clerk Elizabeth Knox said.
According to the application, the 6.2 acres will have parking for six vehicles. The property does not yet have the required burglar and fire alarms, and camera surveillance system, but will once the town approves its application, Mayer said. Submitted with the application was the invoice for a video surveillance system, fire alarm and burglar alarm for more than $10,000.
“It doesn’t make good business sense for me to install the system,” Mayer said at the last Planning Board meeting. “They’ll be required by the state before I can proceed with any activity. But at this juncture, without town approval, it doesn’t make sense to install the system without knowing if I can proceed with this application.”
The owners have paid the required $5,275 fee, which includes the application and license fees and $75 for the background checks at $25 per person.
The Planning Board found the application complete and scheduled the public hearing for Wednesday. The board is expected to rule on the request following the public hearing.
Town approval is just the first step for Paris Hill Farms to operate a dispensary. The state will need to review the application before sending it back to the town for final approval by the Planning Board and the code enforcement officer.
If there are no delays, the dispensary is expected to open by mid-January 2022, according to the application.
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