Plans for medical marijuana growing facility draw community outrage
The Lehigh Township planning meeting was met with community outrage and heated exchange over a developer’s proposed plan to build a medical marijuana growing and processing facility, and a fast-food restaurant with a drive-thru.
Afterward, planners voted to recommend the township zoning board reject the proposal.
LURRS, a partnership that owns land across the street from Lehigh Engineering Associates on Riverview Drive, is seeking a special exception from the township planning commission for the medical marijuana facilities — a step necessary for the facility to be built within the general commercial district.
Many community members expressed anger over the proposal, citing concerns for the safety of children, increased traffic, noise pollution and a lack of studies done by the developers on the potential longterm effects of these facilities near residential areas.
Mark Leuthe, president of Lehigh Engineering Associates and part of the LURRS partnership, presented the
proposal to the commission. Leuthe said the plan met all the criteria for development according to state and township rules.
Still, the Planning Commission made a motion to recommend that the zoning board reject the application, which passed with a 4-1 vote. Planning commission member Bill Jones voted against the motion.
The commission recommended
rejection based on concern for community welfare and also the belief that the plan violates a section of the state statute that states that a dispensary and growing facility not be on the same site.
Board members expressed further concerns over the proposal including the potential odor from the facilities, security measures, and the “inappropriate” proposal for the area and
the welfare of the community residents. They stated these concerns would also be included in their recommendation to the zoning board.
The potential legalization of recreational marijuana use was also brought up in discussion. Residents cited a lack of preventative measures pertaining to traffic influxes, crime and noise for the facility — all of which were assumed to increase if the use of recreational marijuana became legalized. Concerns over the township’s capability to accommodate the extensive power use by the facilities also came into question, raising doubts about potential effects on power, water and waste disposal for the community.
Leuthe said after the meeting that the commission’s recommendation and the community response was “expected.” Leuthe further stated that some community concerns such as odor will be taken into consideration, but declined to specify if they would do anything beyond state and township requirements to appease community concerns.
“I’ll do what the state requires and the township requires,” Leuthe said.
The proposed plans would include 300,000 square feet of space developed into a 3,000-square-foot medical marijuana dispensary, 16 20,000-square-foot medical marijuana growing and processing buildings, and a fast-food restaurant with a drive-thru.
The Lehigh Valley has nine medical marijuana dispensaries across Allentown,
Bethlehem, Whitehall Township and Easton, according to the Department of Health, which regulates the state’s medical marijuana program. There has not yet been a growing or processing facility approved in either Lehigh or Northampton counties.
Glenn Pereira, a resident of Lehigh Township, said Leuthe’s defense of the plan was “disconcerting” and “incomplete.”
“Marijuana production facilities of mass scale just have huge impacts on the environment, unknown impacts and known impacts, and the most known impact, of course, is the odor and what comes along with that odor, is a quality of life,” Pereira said. “There’s potential respiratory issues for some people, allergy issues, etc. So, that’s just one issue, but that affects our quality of life, and I think government’s role should be protecting citizens.”
The commission’s recommendation will be sent to the zoning board, who will decide on the approval of the plan at its meeting 6 p.m. June 8.