Hatfield Planning Board Delays Cannabis Farm Vote Over Site Plan Flaws

HATFIELD — September 4, 2019 — Hatfield Planning Board votes 3-2 to delay ruling on a proposed cannabis farm at 55 Depot Road. The board continued the special permit and site plan approval hearing for Urban Grown Inc. to its October 1 meeting after a review by Berkshire Design Group identified multiple deficiencies in the revised application, including the absence of floodplain engineering certification — roughly three-quarters of the parcel falls below the 100-year flood elevation of 128 feet — no stormwater management plan for a project that would exceed 10,000 square feet of new impervious surface, and unresolved questions about parking access and dumpster screening. CEO Stephen Herbert said the company plans to start with 10,000 square feet of greenhouse canopy and expand incrementally, contributing 3 percent of gross sales — approximately $45,000 per 10,000 square feet — to the town under a signed host community agreement. Town Counsel Tom Mullen told an agitated audience that the board's procedural caution exists to ensure any eventual decision withstands a legal appeal.