Pepperell Planning Board unanimously approves NECC marijuana retail special permit

PEPPERELL — September 15, 2021 — Pepperell Planning Board unanimously approves retail marijuana special permit for New England Craft Cultivators at 112-114 Main Street. The board voted 4-0 Wednesday night to grant the special permit for the adult-use marijuana establishment, the second such permit issued under Pepperell's bylaw, which allows two permits based on the town's six current off-premise liquor licenses. The permit carries roughly 20 conditions, including a requirement that the town's licenses receive Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission approval before the permit becomes operative — a condition the applicant's representative called "exceedingly unusual" on the record. Other conditions include a three-year permit term with renewal required within 120 days of expiration, a final Cannabis Control Commission license submitted to the Planning Board before opening, a police chief safety assessment six months after opening and annually thereafter, and a supermajority revocation authority triggered by three or more incidents within a 30-day period. The board also rejected a surveyor-stamp waiver, requiring NECC to provide a current or recent land survey prior to issuance of the building permit given the site's complex ownership history along Main Street.