Updated: Township Council To Discuss Locating Marijuana Facilities In Franklin

Mayor Phil Kramer said the Township Council is expected to discuss a resolution expressing the township’s openness to marijuana facilities locating in Franklin. (File photo.)

Update: The resolution the council will discuss would allow for the placement of so-called “Alternative Treatment Centers” to grow, cultivate and dispense medical marijuana in the township’s light manufacturing zones.

Those zones, M-1 and M-2, allow for light manufacturing and industrial uses on minimum 5-acre and 2-acre lots, respectively.

M-2 Zones are located roughly in the Veronica Avenue/Clyde Road area, to about Dahmer Road; an area between Churchill Road and Hamilton Street; an area on Cedar Grove Lane, between New Brunswick Road and Pierce Street; an area of Worlds Fair Drive, from Pierce Street to Easton Avenue, an an area bordered by Pierce Street and Elizabeth Avenue, to roughly Route 287.

The M-1 zone is located in an area roughly bordered by and including Elizabeth Avenue, Pierce Street, Cottontail Lane, Randolph Road and Weston Canal Road.

The resolution would require the approval of zoning ordinance amendments to include Alternative Treatment Centers as permitted uses within the M-1 and M-2 zones.

The resolution notes the Council’s support of “expanded access to marijuana for medical purposes, these include, but are not limited to the following activities related to the provision of usable marijuana to qualifying patients: 1) cultivation and harvesting usable marijuana; 2) manufacturing and processing usable marijuana (including the manufacturing of edible products); 3) dispensing of usable marijuana.”

The resolution notes that “the need for medical marijuana in New Jersey currently exceeds the supply that the existing licensed ATCs in operation can provide.”

A special public comment period has been established for the resolution; residents will be given two minutes each to speak.

Original Story: A resolution expressing support for marijuana facilities to locate in the township is expected to be up for discussion at the Aug. 14 Township Council meeting.

The resolution comes at the request of several investors interested in opening facilities in Franklin, and in anticipation of impending legislation on medical and adult-use marijuana.

The legislation is expected to include a requirement that any permit application for a facility include documentation that the targeted town supports the facility.

“Now isn’t the time to just sit around, there’s a reason to just make a decision,” Mayor Phil Kramer said.

The resolution, which is still being written by township attorney Lou Rainone, “would just basically show that we’re open to it,” Kramer said.

Kramer said he was not sure if the resolution would include both medical and recreational – now referred to as “adult use” – marijuana or just medical.

“There’s all kinds of possibilities,” he said.

Kramer said that between two and five investors have expressed interest in opening facilities in the township.

“Some have asked to talk to me, I sent them on to staff to do that kind of talking,” he said. “It’s an economic development issue, so they would talk to (economic development director) Vince Dominic. It’s also a land use issue, so they would talk to (township principal planner) Mark Healey. I let the manager (Township Manager Robert Vornlocker) know about it, too.”

Kramer posted a note about the resolution on his Facebook page.

“I just thought it was important that as many people s possibly know that were going to be discussing it so they can come o the council meeting,” he said.

The council meets at 7 p.m. Aug. 14 in the council chamber in the municipal building on DeMott Lane.

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