FAIRBANKS — Fairbanks North Star Borough officials have voted to approve the borough’s first conditional use permit for a marijuana business, paving the way for a pot farm to set up shop in Salcha.
The Planning Commission’s decision Tuesday came despite complaints from neighbors about traffic, odor, safety and noise, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.
Frosty Farms, owned by Travis Christensen and Girard Gaul, will provide marijuana to retailers. Plans for the 2½-acre property include seven greenhouses and a warehouse for indoor pot growing. The area will be surrounded by a vegetated 50-foot buffer and a 6-foot fence.
The owners, who still must acquire a state license, said the business will help improve the neighborhood by clearing out the trash and abandoned buildings on the property.
But Jim Ostlind said he’s worried the proposed marijuana farm will draw too much attention and could bring thieves into the neighborhood.
“This is a high-value product, and it’s very attractive to certain people,” Ostlind said.
Commissioner Sean Reilly, the only member of the commission to vote against the pot business, also told Christensen and Gaul that he was worried about the health and welfare of the farm’s neighbors.
“It’s nothing against your spirit and your entrepreneurial desire,” Reilly said. “I do not believe that this is a proper location for this cultivation facility.”
The neighborhood is described as a mixture of vacant and residential properties, according to a report submitted to the commission. It is designated as open space or a natural area, and agriculture is compatible with that use, borough planner Stacy Wasinger said.
Residents have 15 days to appeal the commission’s decision.
