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Ryan Cohen and Scott Bulkeley are proposing to operate a marijuana manufacturing facility on Brent Drive.

HUDSON – Officials with Top Shelf Cannaseurs outlined their plans Thursday to prevent noise and odors from emanating from their proposed marijuana cultivation and manufacturing facility on Brent Drive.

But residents of the nearby Sauta Farm over-55 condo complex say Top Shelf’s plans won’t prevent noise and odors from adversely affecting their quality of life.

The town’s Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on Top Shelf’s special permit request to operate a marijuana cultivation and manufacturing facility at 11 Brent Drive. Ryan Cohen and Scott Bulkeley – both veterans – have secured a lease at the facility and signed a community host agreement with the town.

Attorney Blake Mensing, who is representing Top Shelf, and the project team outlined the company’s noise and odor prevention plans. The main source of the noise at the facility will be an outdoor emergency generator and a chiller. That equipment was initially slated to be behind the building, but was moved to the side to help cut down on noise.

Top Shelf plans to put a noise diminishing blanket inside the chiller and construct an acoustic wall around the chiller and generator, which is only used during a power outage, to reduce noise. They also plan to build a white vinyl fence between the two properties.

Sauta Farm residents, however, said that will not prevent noise from affecting their quality of life.

“A blanket will not do it,” said Ellen Callus, who lives at Sauta Farm. “…A blanket won’t mitigate sound.”

Callus said the only way to ensure that noise will not affect Sauta Farm residents is to move the chiller and generator inside or to build a cement wall around the equipment.

Several condos are just feet from the proposed facility, including Michael Byrne’s. The closest point of his residential building is about 22 feet from the property line of 11 Brent Drive and 77 feet from the back of his building. His master bedroom is about 30 feet from the property line and 87 feet from the back of the building. He also voiced concerns about the noise levels.

Callus is also worried about odors emanating from the facility. The project team said there is a charcoal carbon fueled odor system that is designed to keep smells inside the building. The company hired a neutral mechanical engineer team to review their odor mitigation plan.

Mensing and the project team stressed they want to be good neighbors and it is in Top Shelf’s best interest to do so. They could lose their license from the town or state if there are noise or odor issues at the site.

A handful of residents spoke in favor of the proposal, saying Top Shelf is working to address neighbor’s concerns.

Zoning Board of Appeals members continued the public hearing until their next meeting June 11. Members requested more information about the noise and odor prevention plans.

Jeff Malachowski can be reached at 508-490-7466 or jmalachowski@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmalachowskiMW. 

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