Hatfield Planning Board Continues Cannabis Cultivation Hearing, Seeks More Data

HATFIELD -- May 4, 2022, Hatfield Planning Board unanimously continues outdoor cannabis cultivation hearing to June 1. The board, chaired by Stephanie Slysz, heard more than two hours of public comment on a special permit application by Straits Road LLC, a venture of the Simarowski farming family and business partner Jared Glansberger, to grow cannabis outdoors on roughly 150,000 square feet of a 38-acre parcel at 140A North Hatfield Road, with civil engineer Chris Chamberlain of Berkshire Design Group presenting a site plan that meets the town's 500-foot residential setback. Supporters cited the three-percent gross-sales host community agreement and the project's agricultural character; opponents raised concerns about odor, security, property values, and the hydrology of a shared neighborhood ditch network. The board requested the applicant return with a water supply and stormwater analysis, property-value data for western Massachusetts, and a security-related statement from the Hatfield police chief before it will vote.