County board approves three licenses for marijuana grow operations

A first for the county

The Gunnison Board of County Commissioners approved three licenses for marijuana grow operations being planned at Riverland Industrial Park south of Crested Butte and at Gold Basin Industrial Park in Gunnison. 

At a public hearing for each on Tuesday, October 7, the commissioners, acting as the County’s Marijuana Licensing Authority, heard from just one Riverland property owner who wanted to go on the record with a concern about the impact odors from the operations might have on nearby residential tenants. 

{mosloadposition user 1} Community development director Russ Forrest said his staff would visit the property once the operation is up and running to make sure the conditions of the permit, including odor control, were being met. Forrest acknowledged that small-scale individual growers are still able to vent air untreated outside, which can make it hard to recognize the source of any smell that might be a problem. But as it related to the commercial grow operations, Forrest was confident that steps would be taken to mitigate the smell. “Odor appears to be the biggest issue that has come out of the legalization of marijuana,” Forrest said. “You will see in each one of these applications that we recommend to you that we inspect the premises … and if we smell a detectable odor at the site, that could be the basis for a revocation of the license.” All three applicants assured the commissioners that their respective operations would use the activated-carbon air scrubbers that are the standard at grows around the state and keep air inside the building clean and safe for employees. They also said their facilities would have the security systems in place that meet all the state standards. The first license approved went to Wilkinson Fort Jones, who plans to operate his grow in about 1,600 square feet of space on Riverland Drive. As an independent grower, his product will be sold to licensed retail recreational marijuana outlets and not on site. The commissioners also approved a license for Pure Industries to operate a grow facility on Riverland Drive, but their operation will be more than twice the size of Wilkinson’s and will serve Soma Wellness in Crested Butte. Due to the proximity of Riverland to the Slate River, there are conditions in those two permits that require sampling of the septic system before and after the operations start “to ensure adjacent water bodies are not being impacted.” The third license issued by the county went to Lou Costello, who is still waiting to get his license to grow from the state and has yet to start construction on the 6,000-square-foot facility he has planned for the Gold Basin Industrial Park. Costello told the commissioners that facility would serve only wholesale to retail clients. On July 1 of this year, the county adopted the regulations that paved the way for growers to operate in the unincorporated parts of Gunnison County and these are the first licenses issued under those rules. To get a county license, according to the state law, each applicant has to have a clean criminal history; needs to show that the facility is “harmonious” with the surrounding land use; must eliminate exterior odors; and must keep signage away from neighbors and public thoroughfares. Applicants also need to notify all of the appropriate fire and law enforcement authorities of their plans and must gain approval from any applicable property owners’ associations before they can get a license. Through the state licensing process, Forrest said, the applicants had to go through extensive criminal and financial background checks, submit their plans for security review, and meet a host of other requirements. “It’s a pretty arduous process they had to go through,” he said. The final step in the licensing process is to get a local land use change permit, which was granted prior to the public hearing, and a license from the county. The commissioners, with board member Jonathan Houck absent, approved all three licenses.