Cannabis comes to town?

#MiddleburyCT #Cannabis

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Waterbury City Planner Robert J. Nerney notified the Town of Middlebury in a letter dated January 25, 2024, and sent via certified mail that the Waterbury Zoning Commission received an application for a special permit for a retail cannabis establishment within 500 feet of Middlebury. The proposed business would be at 85 Turnpike Drive in Waterbury and would be 3,500 sq. ft. of retail space.

For those unfamiliar with this street, both the entrance and exit to the street are between 2016 (where Snyder Pools used to be) and 2030 Straits Turnpike in Middlebury. The far end of the street, which is in Waterbury, ends in a loop. No Waterbury streets connect to Turnpike Drive, so all traffic to and from the cannabis business would exit and enter from Straits Turnpike.

Middlebury’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted to not allow cannabis establishments in Middlebury. Despite this, it seems possible the town will have a cannabis establishment about as close to Middlebury as one can get without actually being in Middlebury – one whose employees and customers will use Middlebury streets coming and going from the business.
The public hearing for this application will be Wednesday, February 28, at 7 p.m. in the aldermanic chambers in Waterbury City Hall, Second Floor, 235 Grand Street in Waterbury.