MONTCLAIR, NJ — A proposed marijuana business in Montclair took a leap forward on Monday when the planning board granted it a conditional use permit as a cannabis cultivator.
The Montclair Planning Board approved the permit for Genuine Grow LLC after a lengthy public hearing (watch the video below). See plans and supporting materials for the application here.
Genuine Grow has already gained a conditional license from the state, and is seeking to launch a micro-cultivation business at 154 Pine Street. If it gets final approval, the business would operate seven days a week, and have two to six employees on duty at any given time.
According to Genuine Grow’s application to the board, former uses of the building – which is located in a C-2 zone where cannabis cultivation is permitted – include plumbing wholesale and cheese manufacturing.
Microbusinesses are limited in scope under state law, and can possess no more than 1,000 mature cannabis plants each month. There are plans in place for odor control and security, and the facility won’t be open to the general public, the application states.
The company’s owner, Andrew Marshall, who grew up in Montclair, told Patch that he was “very pleased” to hear from so many of his neighbors at Monday’s hearing.
When asked about the plans for Genuine Grow in Montclair, here’s what Marshall had to say:
“At 154 Pine Street, we plan to occupy a small space in the back of the building for growing high quality and organic cannabis. That cannabis will then be sold to other local licensed retailers and manufacturers. Montclair collects a 2% tax on all transactions between my business and other retailers or manufacturers. If all goes to plan, I would anticipate being able to have plants growing by the beginning of Q1 2024. We would be hiring local individuals interested in working in the cannabis industry. We also will be working with REED Autism Services who will be helping us employ local adults who are on the autism spectrum as Genuine Grow employees.”
Replay Video
MOVING ALONG WITH CANNABIS IN MONTCLAIR
Montclair Councilman Peter Yacobellis gave an update about cannabis business licensing in an email on Monday prior to the planning board meeting.
Yacobellis wrote:
“I’d ask folks to understand that we got about zero help from New Jersey to stand up a cannabis regulatory framework in Montclair. We’ve built out everything from scratch — the law itself, processes, forms, policies, procedures and more. As you probably know, last year we did award Ascend one of our three recreational licenses under the rules governing medicinal cannabis conversions. We’re now ready to move forward on issuing manufacturing and cultivation licenses in the next month or so.”
The councilman added:
“In terms of the two remaining recreational licenses, these applications have gone through extensive internal screening — first, several applicants had to submit additional materials to complete their applications. Then we’ve needed to have applications reviewed and signed off by planning, legal, health, police and more. Over the next two weeks, the [Montclair Town Council] will be reviewing the applications with the layered feedback from our departments and hopefully making determinations.”
“I hope that we’ll be issuing the two remaining retail licenses by the last week of February or early March,” Yacobellis concluded. “I’m also of the mind that if we have a third or fourth solid candidate, I would consider opening up the law and increasing the number of licenses too.”
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page.
The article Proposed Marijuana Grow Business In Montclair Takes Leap Forward appeared first on Montclair Patch.
Recent Comments