Galloway Township Council issues agreement for first cannabis business

Michigan-based Grasshopper Farms will set up its indoor cannabis growing operation on about 40 acres on the property of Duane K. and Pamela Demaree at 219 S. Cologne Ave., township Manager Chris Johansen said previously.

Grasshopper Farms first came before the council in February looking to establish an outdoor growing marijuana business, but township ordinances do not allow for outdoor growing or retail of marijuana.

Grasshopper Farms dropped its plans for outdoor growing and switched to indoor growing. After multiple appearances on township agendas in recent months, including a delay caused by a need to define what a greenhouse is, the seven-member, all-Republican council unanimously approved the agreement Tuesday.

Applause broke out among the approximately 30 people who were in the audience when the council voted yes. The vote was the furthest any cannabis-related business has made it through the township’s approval process to date.

New Jersey legalized marijuana in February 2021 in response to a November 2020 referendum. The township approved the issuance of six different kinds of cannabis licenses in August 2021 — cultivation, manufacturing, wholesale, distributor, delivery and microbusiness.

Before the council voted, Erin E. Simone, an attorney with Maley Givens of Collingswood, Camden County, said the project would have at least two phases. Maley Givens crafted the township’s redevelopment agreement, Mayor Anthony Coppola Jr. said.

The existing building and barn would need to be retrofitted for the purposes of cannabis growing. Phase two features the construction of two new 12,000-square-foot buildings. 

Simone also told the council a local permit will be needed to comply with the township’s indoor growing requirements, and there will be annual opportunities to renew the permit.

Before voting, Councilman Tom Bassford, a member of the township’s three-person cannabis subcommittee, said he wanted to make sure that the standards for odor control are followed.

“That’s the main thing I think we have all been concerned about. The buildings will sit back a little bit and not be visible from the street. The one thing I keep being concerned about is the odor control, so that the neighbors and so forth will not be burdened by this odor three times a year,” Bassford said.

Councilman Rich Clute, another member of the cannabis subcommittee, said it has been a long journey to get to where the township is now.

“I think we applied due diligence to get this right. This isn’t about stopping any particular person from getting into a specific business, if it is legal at the state level, but we need to take into consideration neighbors, odor, security and what-have-you that are all involved in this industry,” Clute said.

Councilman RJ Amato III, the third member of the cannabis subcommittee, said it wasn’t an easy process as the council members had a lot of outside pressure on them to push this through or move it faster.

“We came up with standards that I feel comfortable voting on now. I feel that we have enough teeth and regulations,” Clute said. “Hopefully, there are no issues on this property or on other properties in the future.”

At the time the township voted on whether to allow marijuana businesses, Coppola said he thought the best idea was to wait, but Republicans were in the minority on the council then.

“I commend the cannabis committee, and everyone on council, for all the work they have done because this will be our first cannabis facility in Galloway. Hopefully, it will be done with no adverse impact to the adjacent community, and a lot of steps have been taken to ensure that. Hopefully, it works as planned,” Coppola said.

The next step for Grasshopper Farms will be to appear before the township’s Planning Board to see if it can receive site plan approval.

In the future, the council will have to address how many marijuana microbusinesses it will allow, Bassford and Coppola said.