Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 5/16/2023
LUDLOW — Town Meeting was hosted on May 8 in the Ludlow High School to discuss 35 articles.
The budget was approved which is approximately $80 million.
Out of the 35 articles, two were voted down and residents agreed to take no action on four of them.
Article 22 dealt which allowing marijuana establishments in town but was voted down, which rendered Articles 23-26 inactionable.
For the past couple of months, the Planning Board has been revising town bylaws to allow discuss zoning bylaw amendments to allow recreational use marijuana, cannabis establishments and medical marijuana treatment centers to be allowed in town.
Articles 22-26 dealt with removing the prohibition on marijuana establishments and define recreational marijuana/cannabis establishments and medical marijuana treatment center or dispensary. It also looked to add land use classifications such as “Marijuana Cultivator” and “Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (MMTC)/Registered Marijuana Dispensary.”
It also included requirements for businesses to complete such as an approved site plan before acquiring a special permit. This gives the Planning Board more control on the businesses that may eventually come to town.
The Planning Board wanted to reverse a decision that was made when voters approved two Town Meeting articles to permanently prohibit the establishment of retail marijuana shops or cultivation facilities at a Special Town Meeting in November 2017.
Planning Board Chair Raymond Phoniex said, “A few years ago we looked at the options for marijuana in the town and that became a reality statewide, and we decided we wanted to put the brakes on it at that point. In the time since we have seen a number of communities around us that have taken different tact and be able to get a fair amount of money into their coffers that have helped them take some of the tax burden off of the residents.”
He also presented numbers from Easthampton who has five marijuana facilities.
The total revenue in taxes was $874,020 in 2022, $1.3 million in 2021, $1.4 million in 2020.
As of January, the marijuana industry in Massachusetts has recorded over $5 billion in total cannabis sales, with $4 million in adult-use sales and nearly $1 billion in medical sales since the commercial launch, according to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission sales data.
Phoenix added, “There is a fair amount of money that could be raised. The communities that we have been able to speak to haven’t see any real issues that are being generated because of the amount of security and everything that is required for these facilities. As a town we are searching our couch cushions for nickels when we have an ability to do something.”
There were multiple residents who spoke up in favor of allowing marijuana businesses in town due to it being legal, more regulated, monitored and secured in a facility instead of “drug dealers running around town selling stuff that is laced,” as one resident described.
Residents who spoke against marijuana facilities were against the smell the product would bring to the town, concerns with attracting new homeowners, and not having any drugs around in general.
After close to 30 minutes of conversation the efforts of the Planning Board were denied, and marijuana establishments will still not be allowed in Ludlow.
Article 30 was also not approved.
The article looked to rezone a parcel of land located at 0 Russell St. by changing from Residence B to Industrial A to allow for more suitable uses for the property.
The property is owned by Selectman Manny Silva and Joao Silva.
The Planning Board has been meeting with Manny and Joao over the past couple of months to go over the parcel and plan.
Phoenix said, “This was not an easy decision for us to make. This specific parcel is not on the safest, easiest part of town to look at. We had to look at what is allowable there under the existing zoning, what is allowable there under the proposed zoning and which of those is the more suitable thing for that neighborhood.”
He added, “When I am looking at that property under the existing residence zoning, what I am seeing is kids. I am seeing kids that are going to want to leave their house and want to go to places in their neighborhood. What I see by changing this to industrial zoning is taking those kids out of that neighborhood. That is a dangerous area. I just don’t want to see kids there and I don’t want to see them get hurt.”
A couple residents said they were concerned with what business was going to go into the parcel before they voted on it.
Manny Silva added he did not have a specific plan for the building but wanted to add business to town.
He said, “As far as what is going to go there, I really don’t have anything to tell you right now. That has no bearing on what we are proposing today. It is located along the [Massachusetts] Turnpike, very noisy. For housing, it is not as suitable as it can be. By doing it as industrial it gives you a little more broad things that can go there and there is not many.”
He added, “That one business is going to generate income. It will not put a burden on the town in terms of trash and schools. We feel it is much more suitable to get something in there. Something is going to go in there eventually. We think it is better for the community.”
The residents eventually decided vote against the zoning change and the parcel will remain in Residence B.
Articles 27-29 were approved to allow self-service storage facilities to town which land use classifications and regulations.
Board of Selectmen member Tony Goncalves said, “Don’t be confused what the Planning Board did. Up until tonight, you could put a self-storage facility anywhere you wanted in this town because it was unregulated. What these bylaws are now doing are basically segregate them to industrial areas only. They have taken the possibility for these to be spread out anywhere because they were not addressed, and they are now addressing them confining them away from residential neighborhood and away from high traffic areas.”