By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

On Jan. 21, the Town of Cazenovia Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) discussed an application from CNY Hemp Processing, Inc. for a special use permit at 2069 Elm St., New Woodstock — the former site of New Woodstock Lumber Company.

Stephen Halton, president of CNY Hemp Processing Inc., presented his vision for the facility to the board.

In the short term, Halton and his business partner hope to open a hemp processing facility; to grow hemp seedlings; and to “revamp” the existing 3,000 square foot storefront to sell New York State hemp products.

In the longer-term — within the next 10 years — the applicants plan to construct a grain storage structure, a greenhouse to sell seedlings, and a lab for research and development.

The applicants also hope to store their dry hemp bales in an existing 3,000 square foot outbuilding previously used for lumber storage.

Halton informed the board that he currently helps teach the SUNY Morrisville Cannabis Industry minor and works closely with Cornell University.

“ . . . We’ve talked about doing a workforce development program with SUNY Morrisville,” he said. “We have no problem finding people who want to work for us, but we have a hard time finding anyone that knows much about hemp that wants to work for us. There are a lot of misconceptions as far as what we do.”

Founded in 2017, CNY Hemp Processing is New York State’s fourth hemp processor.

“I’m really trying to advance the hemp industry as far as research and building the infrastructure of the entire state,” Halton said. “We do not process CBD. There is an oil line, where we press oil from the grain for cosmetics, and then there is a textile line, where we extract the fibers and run them through a decorticator and a carding machine. We have a spinning mill that spins that into yarn. That’s located in Albany. The textile mill is in Binghamton and the clothing manufacturer is in Syracuse. That’s where you start purchasing the products that we produce out of here.”

According to Halton, CNY Hemp Processing Inc. is completely compliant with New York State regulations and the 2019 Farm Bill.

Halton anticipates that the processing will be odorless and will produce “a little bit of dust.”

“[The dust] is not awful, but there is some,” he said. “It kind of depends on how good of a job the farmer does who I purchase the material from. Sometimes, just like hay, the bales of hemp can get dusty.”

Halton added that they are currently looking into dust evacuation or containment systems.

According to the applicant, the processing will produce a little noise, primarily from the decorticator machine, trucks and forklifts, which will be mitigated with insulation.

The processing facility would operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the storefront might be open for slightly longer hours.

Outside the building, the applicants hope to install 3 to 4 dark sky compliant lights for security purposes.

Employees would park inside the existing fence and customers would park outside the fence.

Halton believes that the facility will produce “quite a bit less” traffic than the lumber company.

“While the lumber yard might have been getting three or four semi-trucks coming in a week, we are just going to have [some] higher flow times,” he said. “During harvest time there will be more trucks than normal, but they really shouldn’t be the semi-trucks . . .”

Halton hopes to begin processing by the end of March or the beginning of April.

Following the initial discussion, the board opened a public hearing on the proposed building use.

A number of Elm Street residents expressed concerns regarding the introduction of an industrial hemp processing facility into an otherwise residential neighborhood.

The community members voiced particular concerns regarding the aesthetics of the building and the potential light, noise, odor, dust and traffic associated with the proposed business.

Mary Foster suggested that, because the hemp industry is so new and the process is not well understood by the public, the board should investigate the process and visit a hemp processing facility to experience the noise, smell and dust firsthand.

Multiple residents noted that an increase in traffic could jeopardize the safety of the many young children who regularly play in the sidewalk-less street.

“It’s a very friendly, quiet neighborhood, and we don’t really need a lot more traffic — we don’t need any more traffic,” said Elm Street resident Paul Schmidt. “People already use [the street] for a cut-through as it is now, just so they don’t have to go around the corner and around the buildings . . . With the lumber company, traffic was minimal and it stopped [around] four o’clock or three o’clock, and Saturday I think they were open half a day. [This business] is not anything I want to see there.”

Elm Street residents also expressed concerns regarding the environmental impact of the facility and any processing waste on the New Woodstock water system, the septic system, and the creek at the back of the property.

Additional issues raised were related to the aesthetics of the building, the impact of the business on property values, future expansions, and the proposed hours of operation.

“My concerns are around this special use permit and enforcing that,” said Elm Street resident Tara Zumpano. “ . . . We’ve had some special use permits, between Owera and Empire, that haven’t had a great track record in terms of enforcement. Who polices this? Is it annually up for renewal? . . . What’s the recourse if it doesn’t go as planned?”

Board Chairman Thomas Pratt responded that the permit would be renewed annually. Zoning and Codes Enforcement Officer Roger Cook declined to comment.

Following the public comment period, Halton responded to a number of the concerns raised by the residents.

The applicant invited the board and members of the community to schedule visits to the facility to get a sense of the process and discuss their concerns.

Halton said prior to opening he plans to paint the sides of the building that are visible from the street (weather permitting) and pave at least the front parking lot to mitigate the dust.

“I can’t open my business if I have to pave my entire parking lot [first],” he said. “I’m already looking at a huge amount [of money] just to be able to insulate and heat that 6,000 square foot [space] with 18 foot ceilings . . . I’m not opposed to [paving], and I am open to suggestions from the board or the community as far as what would be a compromise for that.”

Halton reiterated his belief that there would be fewer trucks coming in and out than there were previously.

“We’re not having semi-trucks coming in there at least twice a week,” he said. “We’re not getting that much material that is going in and out of that building. The truck that we use for deliveries is the same size as the delivery truck that they used before. We’re not using any large trucks, and we really aren’t impacting the traffic. I have kids too that ride and walk the streets . . . I don’t want anything to happen to them either. I understand the concerns of the community and I would like to work with the community and the board to address them . . . I’m trying to build the community . . . I live in New Woodstock and I own a house there. I don’t want my property value to go down either.”

The applicant also noted that the hemp processing uses no chemicals and produces no byproducts or waste — everything that is processed in the facility is used completely.

The bathroom would not be open to the public and there would be a maximum of five employees.

“At some point, you’re going to have to make some of your neighbors feel a little more comfortable,” said board member David Silverman. “They’ve been there a long time and they are invested . . . But I have to tell you, this is probably the applicant that is most prepared to deal with these questions [and concerns]. This young man appears to have all the credentials and the knowledge . . . You’ve got a gentleman who knows the business inside out, and it’s one of those things the state is [behind].”

The board voted to continue the public hearing to the February meeting.

“At this point, you as neighbors have obviously voiced concerns, and now it’s up to the applicant to [address] those concerns,” said Cook “ . . . The board is taking all those questions into consideration, along with the other technical aspects of this — there is another whole layer of things that haven’t been discussed here that have to be brought before this board.”

In other news

The board voted to conditionally approve Torrey and Brian Marti’s request for a special use permit at 3360 Thompson Road.

The couple intends to open a preschool on the corner of Thompson Road and New York State Route 13 to help meet the “critical need” for all-day preschools in the Cazenovia area.

The Martis plan to offer a full-time preschool program for children ages 3-5 and an educational afterschool program for kindergarten through fifth grade students.

The board’s approval is contingent upon the Martis receiving New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) licensing.

“The special use doesn’t go into effect until the Martis demonstrate the license,” explained board member James Wigge.

The zoning board will hold its next meeting on Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cazenovia Town Office, 7 Albany Street.