Bartlett's Farm Files Plans For Marijuana Cultivation Facility

Bartlett's Farm has filed plans to build a 5,400 square-foot marijuana cultivation facility that would be located behind its main farm stand building.

The plans, which are pending before the Historic District Commission, are among the initial steps Bartlett's Farm has taken as it aims to make the island's first bid to secure a marijuana cultivation-only license. While the Bartletts have not yet formally applied for that license from the town yet, they are laying the groundwork to move ahead with the ambitious project.

The insulated steel panel facility would include a "head house," a greenhouse, and shed, that would allow Bartlett's Farm to grow cannabis hydroponically and sell product to the island's two dispensaries. There would be no retail component at the farm.

"I don’t want to grow in a basement, in a windowless room," John Bartlett said. "This particular manufacturer, their style spoke to me from using the sun and the ability to use lights if you’re not getting optimal lighting conditions. It’s the best of both words: a controlled environment, temperature, humidity, but also the benefit of natural sunlight. We can use that to our advantage and not be 100 percent dependent on artificial light and the energy that requires."

"There's an opportunity there for us to meet a need and diversify our business and do what we like to do, which is grow," Bartlett told the Current last month when he announced the farm's intention to pursue a cultivation license.The new venture would be called Ocean View Hydroponics.The island has already reached the limit imposed by the Select Board of two cannabis dispensaries, but the state also allows for cultivation-only licenses to grow marijuana. The Select Board last month endorsed a so-called “host community agreement” that sets the policies and procedures for granting cultivation-only licenses.Bartlett emphasized that there remains a long regulatory gauntlet with numerous state and local permits ahead before construction could begin on a cultivation facility. The HDC filing was strategic in order to identify any potential showstoppers or non-starters with the island's architectural review board.

Over the past month following Bartlett's Farm announcement, Bartlett said he has received a lot of feedback, mostly positive, about the new venture.

"We’ve definitely had people who have been for it, and people against it, but it’s more overwhelmingly positive," Bartlett said. "Sometimes that's hard to gauge. There can be a vocal minority and silent majority. But I've had people who are respected in the community wish us well and said it made sense. We have the space to do it and the growing knowledge to do it. Although it's not considered an agricultural commodity, it’s a plant and that’ s at the core of what I do. We always try to do the right thing and be respectful of the community and be good partners."
Bartlett said last month that there are no agreements signed with either of the two dispensaries – both of which have their own on-site cultivation facilities – but he has been having discussions with the teams at The Green Lady and ACK Natural for several months now.

Cleantha Campbell, the director of communications for The Green Lady, said those discussions with the Bartletts had happened, and endorsed the farm's pursuit of a cultivation license as well as the potential partnership.

"We are very supportive of this project and think it is a wonderful idea," Campbell said in an e-mail to the Current. "We are looking forward to working with them! We will still be cultivating our own flower - it is award winning, high quality, craft cannabis! Since our product is in such high demand, having another cultivation partner would bring a wider variety of products to offer."

Mike Sullivan, one of the partners in ACK Natural, also said he had discussed the concept with the Bartletts.

"It would be nice to have more diversified products in the market, which would be great for the consumer," Sullivan said.

Both island dispensaries grow on-site due to the prohibition on transporting marijuana over federal waters, as cannabis is still classified as a schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act. But given the extreme cost of real estate and construction on Nantucket, the island dispensaries have a smaller cultivation footprint than their counterparts on the mainland.