PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Due to Abington News’ contract with the American Federation of Blacksmiths, Pinsetters, Milkmen, Typewriter Repairmen, and Journalists, Local Union 714, this week’s Labor Day edition of the Week Ahead will be brief.
Cannabis cultivation/manufacturing/retail operation on Planning Board agenda
Plans for the town’s first cannabis grow house is up for consideration with the Planning Board Tuesday night. Natural Agricultural Products, LLC, is looking to take over the existing commercial structure at 1437 Bedford Street and build a manufacturing and cultivation operation that will sell cannabis products wholesale to retailers. The company would also operate a retail shop at the site. Just under 16,000 square feet of the building will be reserved for the manufacturing and cultivation operation; the retail shop will occupy the remaining 2,000 square feet.
The property is located on Route 18 in between Bud’s, which opened in May, and Green Harbor Dispensaries, which received permits earlier this year but has yet to start its build out. The front of the site will remain a parking area for school buses.
Abington would receive 3 percent sales tax not just from the retail sales, but also any wholesale of products.
Planning Board considering design change at 500 Chestnut Street
The owner of a commercial warehouse park under development on Chestnut Street will appear before the Planning Board for an informal discussion about a design change to its ring road. The road as currently proposed travels at one point between a pair of buildings and the parking areas for those buildings. The owner, Peter Fiore, is considering instead asking to combine the two structures into one, and move the ring road away from the parking areas. The Planning Board doesn’t have a formal plan to review; it’s an informal discussion to get input from the board before Fiore outlays thousands of dollars on new engineering plans.
The plan currently calls for 7 commercial buildings on the 26-acre site; if eventually approved, the number of buildings would be reduced to six. The structures would range from 16,000 – 60,000 square feet in size.
Conservation-minded residents have been vocal post-permitting about the environmental impact of the development; the land along Chestnut has large undeveloped stretches and is identified as part of a larger environmentally sensitive corridor.
Dale Street tree farm also before the Planning Board
The hopeful Dale Street farm at the center of a recent Conservation Commission controversy will be back before the Planning Board where it all started. The property owner came before the Planning Board in July asking permission to redraw the property’s lot lines, and consolidate the land from six different lots into two. Usually, these are non-controversial, administrative requests known as Approvals Not Required. However, the proposed lot lines would have cut off access to the existing home’s driveway, which complicated things. The property owner went to the Conservation Commission to get permission to build a new driveway which would fit within the proposed, redrawn lot lines.
Strawberry Valley Appreciation Day likely on Oct 3
The Strawberry Valley Golf Course Committee is expected this week to Is finalized plans for its its annual resident Appreciation Day. The current proposed date is October 3rd. Any Abington resident will be able to play the 9-hole course for free that day. (Please call ahead for a tee time)
9/11 remembrance events scheduled
A pair of public remembrances are planned to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A candlelight service will take place on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m., at the 9/11 memorial in front of the Abington Police Station. The event will include Christie Coombs, whose husband, Jeff, was among the nearly 3,000 people killed on that day, and the family of Sgt. Daniel Vasselian, who was killed in 2013 in Afghanistan. In addition, Abington Youth Soccer will pause their slate of games Saturday morning, Sept. 11, to hold a brief ceremony, starting approximately 8:45 a.m. That event will be led by Raul Martinez, of NBC10 Boston and an AYS coach, and the Rev. Kristy Coburn, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Global War on Terrorism.
Music parents fair scheduled for Sept. 19
The Abington Music Parents will hold their 41st Annual Craft Fair on Sunday, Sept. 19. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Abington Middle/High School. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children.
Hazardous Waste Day on Sept. 11
Residents looking to dispose of hazardous waste may do so free of charge on Sept. 11, at East Bridgewater Middle/High School. Abington is co-hosting the event along with Whitman, Hanson, and East Bridgewater. Check this site for a complete list of substances and materials accepted at the event.
Tids ‘n Bits
In case you missed it over the weekend, check out our collection of news updates from last week.
MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Planning Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes discussions about a cannabis operation at 1437 Bedford Street, plot plan reviews at 75 Dale Street and 310 Bedford Street, a proposed 4-unit townhouse project at 380 Brockton Avenue, full permit hearings at 67 Oak Street and 662 Adams Street, and an informal discussion on a proposed change to 500 Chestnut Street.
WEDNESDAY
Strawberry Valley Golf Course Committee, 5 p.m., Course Clubhouse. Agenda includes a discussion on Appreciation Day, a possible golf tournament on Oct. 16 for the Beaver Brook Playground, capital project updates.
Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes the introduction of new committee members and a discussion of year-end transfers.