{"id":4252,"date":"2022-02-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMimgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5iZXJrc2hpcmVlYWdsZS5jb20vbmV3cy9zb3V0aGVybl9iZXJrc2hpcmVzL2JlY2tldC1xdWFsaXR5LWxpZmUtY2FubmFiaXMtZmFybS1wbGFubmluZy1ib2FyZC9hcnRpY2xlXzdlZGU0MWJhLThkZDUtMTFlYy1hNDM1LTNiNDQxNDIxNDhjNC5odG1s0gEA"},"modified":"2022-02-15T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T12:00:00","slug":"quality-of-life-cuts-two-ways-in-debate-over-proposed-becket-cannabis-farm-berkshire-eagle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=4252","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Quality of life&#8217; cuts two ways in debate over proposed Becket cannabis farm &#8211; Berkshire Eagle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"inline-asset inline-image layout-horizontal subscriber-hide tnt-inline-asset tnt-inline-relcontent tnt-inline-image tnt-inline-relation-child tnt-inline-presentation-default tnt-inline-alignment-center tnt-inline-width-two-thirds\">\n<figure class=\"photo layout-horizontal hover-expand letterbox-style-white\"><span class=\"expand hidden-print\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".modal-be9fc1d4-8dda-11ec-8ff6-674cabd28c7a\"> <span class=\"fas tnt-expand\"><\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n<div class=\"image\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".modal-be9fc1d4-8dda-11ec-8ff6-674cabd28c7a\">\n<div>     <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe\/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"Quarry pond.JPG (copy) (copy)\" class=\"img-responsive lazyload full white\" width=\"1662\" height=\"1247\" data-sizes=\"auto\"> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption\"> <span class=\"caption-text\"> <\/p>\n<p>A proposed cannabis farm&#8217;s location just north of the Becket Quarry is cited by opponents as a problem, saying the area draws children. The project counters that its presence on the rural road could help&nbsp;discourage rowdy behavior at the quarry.<\/p>\n<p> <\/span> <span class=\"credit\"> <span class=\"tnt-byline\">EAGLE FILE PHOTO<\/span> <\/span> <span class=\"clearfix\"><\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>BECKET \u2014 For more than a year, a Becket couple has been waiting for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berkshireeagle.com\/news\/southern_berkshires\/beckeet-cannabis-proposal-special-permit\/article_7f01eb5c-40ef-11ec-b2d8-3bb1031d1a78.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a retirement dream<\/a> to come true.<\/p>\n<p>A few things stand in the way.<\/p>\n<p>And more than a few neighbors.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"tncms-inline-relcontent tncms-inline-relcontent-quote tncms-inline-alignment-right tncms-inline-width-half\">\n<h4>Quote<\/h4>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI have to wonder at the motivation. Because there is a quality-of-life question here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Adrienne K. Metcalf, co-owner of the site of a proposed cannabis farm in Becket<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Next week, the Becket Planning Board will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berkshireeagle.com\/news\/central_berkshires\/becket-cannabis-project-delay-planning-board\/article_fb4f38ec-77ca-11ec-9e62-37aa025ebe7d.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resume a hearing<\/a> into whether a Connecticut company, TetraHydra AgTek LLC, should be granted a special permit for a cannabis farm on Quarry Road. Recent hearings have been long, with neighbors voicing urgent appeals to planners to deny the project, citing concerns about water quality and supply, odor and light pollution, among other things.<\/p>\n<p>As the last two-hour session drew to a close, on Feb. 9, Adrienne K. Metcalf spoke up. She is the co-owner of property that would be leased for the farm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere&#8217;s our quality of life in this mix?\u201d Metcalf asked. She questioned the motives of people who have raised questions about marijuana odor, a concern she dismissed as unrealistic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have to wonder at the motivation. I just have to wonder. Because there is a quality-of-life question here,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I find out that one of the main issues within some of the most fervent detractors [of] this project has been that Josh and I do not have the right to retire on money from our land.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Metcalf\u2019s frustration spilled forward. \u201cOh, you&#8217;re gonna have to see a greenhouse. Gee, really? Is that so horrible? Is that really so horrible?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>The board plans to take up the application again at 6 p.m. Feb. 23. The proposal first was aired in January 2021, then was withdrawn and resubmitted in June. The application was taken up at a contentious Planning Board meeting in August, when the review was delayed by the discovery that applicants needed to have secured a host community agreement with Becket, a document now in hand.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-asset inline-html subscriber-hide tnt-inline-asset tnt-inline-relcontent tnt-inline-html tnt-inline-relation-child tnt-inline-presentation-default tnt-inline-alignment-default tnt-inline-width-default\">\n<div class=\"html-content\"> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A Pittsfield attorney representing more than three dozen people in the area of southeast Becket presented a list of perceived problems with the application to the board Feb. 9.<\/p>\n<p>Mitchell I. Greenwald spoke, among other things, of changes to the application that resulted in improper notification of abutters. He said town bylaws require separate applications for indoor and outdoor marijuana cultivation, regardless of state rules.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone of them are resolved,\u201d Greenwald said Monday, speaking of those issues. \u201cAnd some, I don\u2019t think, are resolvable with the existing plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At its last session, Michael Goodenough, a TetraHydra AgTek partner, responded to issues raised by opponents. He said the project could drop the outdoor growing field that is included in the plan it submitted in late January.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, that outdoor field is not a necessity; rather, it was a placeholder for us for the additional greenhouses, if that was ever going to be our future,\u201d he said via the Zoom connection. \u201cWe can remove that from the plan if that&#8217;s required, but I don&#8217;t think it changes our plan in any way, shape or form.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Goodenough said Monday he plans to see if the board requests that the project drop the outdoor field as a condition of approval.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a question of whether we have to,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have to make a decision from there. All of the numbers are really built off of the greenhouse.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>If the applicant provides new materials, Greenwald said he will request that his clients have a chance to speak again. \u201cMy clients will be entitled to, and insist on, the right to comment on the new material.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen Karlberg, of Becket West Road, told the board it should heed neighbors\u2019 concerns and \u201creflect the will of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want our voices heard,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have got a community up on Quarry Road that is telling you something, and I don&#8217;t think you have the right to just ignore them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael Lavery, a Select Board member, spoke in support of the Quarry Road farm, noting that he made bringing the cannabis-cultivation industry to Becket one of this campaign goals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt fits in with our rural, farming community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Lavery said the Select Board\u2019s host community agreement with TetraHydra AgTek will protect the community. \u201cThis is something we\u2019ve taken seriously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h3>Property owner\u2019s appeal<\/h3>\n<p>Metcalf owns the Quarry Road land with Jerome H. Schwartzback, according to property records. She said she believes that TetraHydra AgTek has responded to concerns raised over the past year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey researched, they found answers,\u201d Metcalf said. \u201cThey changed things. \u2026 They found they needed to make changes in answer to your complaints. I just have to wonder who you all are, that this has been your life&#8217;s journey for the last year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, neighbors opposed to the farm backed up and broadened points raised by Greenwald.<\/p>\n<p>The leaders of two local homeowners groups urged the board to deny the permit.<\/p>\n<p>David Edell, who chairs Skyline Ridge Property Owners&#8217; Association, said members of his group are those who would be affected most.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;re closest \u2026 and have the greatest potential impact or are impacted,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don&#8217;t believe that we have the protections necessary in order to deal with worst-case situations as they arise once this begins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The president of the Indian Lakes Association said she believes that the concerns spelled out amount to enough to prevent board approval.<\/p>\n<p>Beverly Lambert, who lives on Quarry Road, said she thinks the farm is a mismatch for the area.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe proposal by TetraHydra AgTek is not in keeping with the character of our neighborhood,\u201d Lambert said.<\/p>\n<p>Tess Lundberg, a year-round resident on Valley View Road, asked the board to press for more information on water supplies, and on \u201chow that will impact our neighbors&#8217; wells and the aquifer in general.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-asset inline-article subscriber-hide tnt-inline-asset tnt-inline-relcontent tnt-inline-article tnt-inline-relation-sibling tnt-inline-presentation-short-summary tnt-inline-width-full\">\n<article id=\"card-summary-7f01eb5c-40ef-11ec-b2d8-3bb1031d1a78\" class=\"tnt-asset-type-article clearfix card summary has-image letterbox-style-white tnt-section-news tnt-sub-section-southern-berkshires\">\n<div class=\"card-container\">\n<div class=\"card-image \">\n<div class=\"media-preview-7f01eb5c-40ef-11ec-b2d8-3bb1031d1a78 media-preview article-asset \" data-aspect>\n<figure class=\"photo layout-horizontal letterbox-style-white\">\n<div class=\"image\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berkshireeagle.com\/news\/southern_berkshires\/beckeet-cannabis-proposal-special-permit\/article_7f01eb5c-40ef-11ec-b2d8-3bb1031d1a78.html\" class=\"tnt-asset-link\" aria-label=\"Large-scale cannabis project mounts a second try to win special permit in Becket\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe\/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"Large-scale cannabis project mounts a second try to win special permit in Becket\" class=\"img-responsive lazyload full white\" width=\"204\" height=\"172\" data-sizes=\"auto\"> <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p>Robert Alarie, of Andrews Road, said he, too, questioned whether the area can provide water for current users as well as a marijuana farm \u2014 and termed the project detrimental to the \u201ccharacter of the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Goodenough, of TetraHydra AgTek, said during the meeting that the farm would not draw more groundwater than 4.5 households.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur environmental footprint here is one of the greatest designs that exists in the cannabis industry right now,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are using multiple technologies to reduce our impact and consumption on electricity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou guys speak of quality of life,\u201d he said, addressing the project\u2019s opponents. \u201cI swear to you, we will do everything we can to improve all that we can, at every corner that we can. And I say that with my whole heart. \u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A proposed cannabis farm&#8217;s location just north of the Becket Quarry is cited by opponents as a problem, saying the area draws children. The project counters that its presence on the rural road could help&nbsp;discourage rowdy behavior at the quarry. EAGLE FILE PHOTO BECKET \u2014 For more than a year, a Becket couple has been waiting for a retirement dream to come true. A few things stand in the way. And more than a few neighbors. Quote \u201cI have to wonder at the motivation. Because there is a quality-of-life question here.&#8221; \u2014 Adrienne K. Metcalf, co-owner of the site of&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/quality-of-life-cuts-two-ways-in-debate-over-proposed-becket-cannabis-farm-berkshire-eagle.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}