PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Manna Wellness was granted a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals Wednesday to operate a medical marijuana facility, despite protest from a resident who lives nearby.

 

Julia Germaine of Manna Wellness said the company is looking to build a 3,200 square-foot facility on undeveloped land in the Cloverdale Business Park. The site is located next to Dollar General on outer West Housatonic Street and Ice River Springs. 

 

"The retail space will look similar to a pharmacy," Germaine said.

 

The site expects to serve 30 to 40 patients a day and be open seven-days a week from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Manna is planning to employ a dozen people full-time with a maximum of six working at the location at the same time.

 

The location meets all of the guidelines for a special permit - it is not near a school or playground, won't over burden public utilities, does not create undue traffic. is consistent with the city's master plan, and the security will meet state standards. The site will be a dispensary only, with the product being cultivate in Worcester.

 

Manna is currently in the "inspection phase" of receiving a license from the state Department of Public Health. The company has a preliminary license approval.

 

Engineer Dan Lovett from Hill Engineering said the company plans to add screening to keep the building out of site from one residence that would be able to see it. He said the site will have 27 parking spots, 10 more than required, and "we are going to build a pretty extensive rain garden" to comply with stormwater runoff regulations.

 

The deliveries will come in with non-descriptive vehicles at random times and will be brought in through a gated back entrance, according to Manna Wellness CEO Anthony Parrinello. The company already operates in New Hampshire and Parrinello said there have been no issues.

 

Further, there will be plenty of lighting and many security cameras on the outside. Every inch of the inside will be seen by surveillance cameras. And those entering the facility will need to show their state registration to get in the front door. From there a "man trap" area in which persons cannot exit or enter the next area is where the identification card will again be verified with the state's database. After that, the person will be buzzed into the retail area.

 

"No one is allowed into the facility until you are registered," he said.

 

Cloverdale Street resident Julie Golin, however, opposed the project for fear that it would quickly become a recreational facility if the ballot question passes, that her home value would drop, and that her neighborhood has many children.

 

"I have concerns that it is not in line with the character of that residential neighborhood. There are children, my son included, in that neighborhood. There are buses that pass by multiple times a day," Golin said.

 

She added, "We worked really hard to build a nice home and invested in our property ... I question what this will do to our property values and potential resale values down the road if someone is aware there is a marijuana dispensary in our backyard."

 

Golin also said that the ballot question to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes has a provision that medical marijuana companies have the first shot at getting a recreational license. She fears the facility would make that change.

 

"It appears that medical marijuana facilities would have first dibs on a recreational license down the road should that pass," she said.

 

The city's permitting coordinator Nate Joyner, however, said if that happened, the city would consider it a change in use and take up the issue then. But, he said the rules around recreational facilities haven't come out yet.

 

"We have a small role in this. It is really state-driven. The site part of it comes to the municipalities, the rest of it is state-driven," ZBA Chairman Albert Ingegni said.

 

Despite Golin's concerns, the ZBA voted 4-1, with Miriam Maduro opposing it, to grant the special permit. The granting comes on the heels of the Zoning Board of Appeals denying a special permit for a medicinal marijuana facility on East Street.

 

"I understand Mrs. Golin's concerns about the location. But, unfortunately, this is in a light industrial zone. It is already surrounded by businesses. It is a very different type of feel than the last one," ZBA member Esther Bolan said.