While a recent ruling allows a local marijuana production facility to be planted in Josephburg ground, additional conditions have been placed on the project.

On June 7, a split 2-2 decision by the Subdivision and Development Appeals Board (SDAB) resulted in a dismissal of a challenge issued by a group of Josephburg residents for a 74-acre medical cannabis production site, by Canadian Rockies Agriculture.

However, while the tied ruling resulted in the residents concerns being shot down, the SDAB placed new conditions on the production facility, including revised standards for light, noise and odor pollution.

None of the new standards, though, are creating concerns for Canadian Rockies CEO Aaron Barr, who said the project is now full-steam-ahead.

“Our HVAC equipment can’t be louder than 53 decibels, and all of our lighting needs to be 3,000 Kelvin or less in temperature, which are all completely reasonable conditions,” he explained.

“(We) will obviously make it the least intrusive as we possibly can for neighbours in the surrounding area.”

The facility plan has already gone through a number of changes between the time a first application was made to Strathcona County, to the appeals hearings.

Such alterations to the project scope included reducing of the facility’s largest building from 100,000 square feet to 36,000; as well as lowering the number of exterior light posts from 30 to one.

While Barr is happy with the outcome of the appeals process, he noted the appeal was both “costly and time-consuming.”

—News Staff