WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board heard a lot of talk Wednesday at its panel discussion on cannabis about the benefits of marijuana cultivation and got the answers to a couple of questions that came up in its process of drafting a revised bylaw.
But on one question, the board heard somewhat mixed messages: Can the bylaw limit production in a zone to “outdoor growing” and still allow greenhouses or hoop houses to let farmers get their plants started in the late winter and early spring?
“I’m not aware of any regulations among different types of structures as to what is or is not an indoor grow,” said Joel Bard, an attorney with town counsel KP Law. “A hoop house would be in the grayest area. I assume any greenhouse would be indoors.”
Bard’s colleague at KP Law, Nicole Costanzo, then told the board she has worked on Host Community Agreements that “would allow hoop houses as outdoor” cultivation.
And the proprietor of a Pittsfield cannabis production business said greenhouses are allowable on an outdoor farm as long as they rely on natural light.
“From the standpoint of regulations, it’s considered outdoor even if it’s a…
