North Andover Rejects Rezoning For Pot-Growing Facility, Funds $6.1M K Complex

NORTH ANDOVER, MA -- An overflow crowd at the Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday effectively extinguished a proposal for a marijuana-cultivating facility at 1600 Osgood Street by rejecting necessary rezoning of the site. But voters unanimously approved spending $6.1 million on the school department's K Complex, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

Articles 9, 10, and 11 focused on the proposal marijuana cultivating facility, including changes to the zoning bylaws in town to include 1600 Osgood St. as part of a medical marijuana overlay district.

Articles 9 and 11 specifically involved a proposal by North Andover residents Dr. Jeff Goldstein, former medical director of Lowell General's radiation oncology department, and his wife, Orit, to transform the 1.1 million square foot site into a state-of-the-art marijuana-growing facility at 1600 Osgood St., the site of the former Lucent Technologies manufacturing plant.

The petitioners were asking for 1.1 million square-feet of property at 1600 Osgood Street to be zoned for growing marijuana to be distributed to off-site dispensaries, as well as for research and development.

The vote on Article 9, which would have enabled medical marijuana use at the former Lucent plant, went 535 in favor and 384 against,not meeting the two-thirds vote necessary vote to pass, the Eagle-Tribune reports. The lack of two-thirds vote means the medical marijuana overlay district will not be extended to include 1600 Osgood St.

As a result, the petitioner withdrew other related articles for zoning changes that would allow the facility to move forward, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

Selectmen Phil DeCologero, Regina Kean, and Chris Nobile voted in favor of the project, while Selectmen Richard Vaillancourt and Rosemary Smedile, the newspaper reports. The Planning Board and dissenting selectmen had voiced concerns about the lack of time to thoroughly investigate the proposal.

General concerns about the project included the facility's potential to draw water from the town, air quality, and the uncertainty on the proportion of space dedicated to research and development compared to recreational cultivation, according to the Eagle-Tribune. Support centered around the benefits of medical marijuana and economic benefit to the town.

Article 10 which would have given the Board of Selectmen the authority to negotiate a host agreement with a facility was withdrawn as moot. The selectmen already have the authority.

An amended Article 12 was passed calling for an overall moratorium on an recreational marijuana facilities in town until Nov. 30, 2018, the newspaper reports. The original article called for a moratorium until June 30, 2018.

Town Meeting also passed the town general budget, capital improvement plan, school budget, and Community Preservation Committee fund appropriation, the Eagle-Tribune reports.The Capital Improvement Plan, which includes the proposed unified Kindergarten complex project, passed unanimously.

The $6.1 million Early Childhood Complex Expansion or the K Complex will be funded with $4 million from town reserves and $2.1 million from traditional borrowing, according to town officials.

School officials say there is a growing need to expand the Early Childhood Center to add classrooms for the kindergarten program to reduce class size.The project involved using modular units that are built off-site and shipped ready to be permanently installed. It should be ready for students in September of 2018.

There were six citizen petitions filed to the Town Meeting warrant this year. Two are for age exemptions for civil service officers, one advocates for anti-corruption in government, all were approved, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

Article 29 approved nearly $2 million from the Community Preservation fund for ten projects, including $600,000 for the Middle School Athletic Complex project design.

Article 8: The American Anti-Corruption Act passed by a hand count 523 in favor, 275 against.

For more on this story read the Eagle-Tribune.