COLRAIN — The Selectboard approved two host community agreements Tuesday night with a new marijuana cultivator and retail delivery service that will be based at 270 Greenfield Road.

More than two dozen residents showed up to Colrain Central School to hear the discussion about the companies. The businesses — with Bred Genetics LLC cultivating marijuana and Flower Xpress LLC delivering it for retail consumption — will act as two separate entities and will not do direct business with each other. However, they are both led by CEO Dru Ledbetter.

After the meeting, Ledbetter said her companies are “based in Colrain now,” as these are her companies’ first two approved host community agreements and they are hoping to be the “first Black, Latina-owned” cultivator in the state. She added she hopes to have open communication with the community to “mitigate concerns.”

“We’re excited,” she said. “We’re going to keep our ears open for the community.”

Bred Genetics

Bred Genetics will operate an 85,000-square-foot outdoor cultivation facility and an additional 15,000 square feet of indoor cultivation space at 270 Greenfield Road.

Much of the agreements’ terms remained unchanged during the Selectboard’s discussion, but the board opted to increase the community impact fee from 1.5% to 3% to match other businesses in town. Ledbetter’s companies had initially requested 1.5% because her businesses are “social equity companies,” which are designations given by the state Cannabis Control Commission designed to help women-, veteran- or minority-owned businesses get over financial hurdles.

“With the other host community agreements we have approved and went into, their impact fee is 3%,” said Selectboard Chair Joe Kurland, “and for consistency I would lean toward keeping it 3%.”

For Bred Genetics’ growing operations, Head Cultivator Huggens Lafond said the facility will be “pesticide-free” and as the company grows, its goal is to be fully sustainable.

“We’re choosing to be pesticide-free. Our method is about prevention as opposed to dealing with it after the fact,” Lafond said. “We want it to be as organic as it possibly can be. … We want to be a partner, not just with our neighbors, but the environment, too.”

Flower Xpress

Flower Xpress will be a delivery service for retail marijuana based on the same site as Bred Genetics’ farm, but Ledbetter said Bred Genetics’ marijuana will not be available to be ordered from Flower Xpress because that marijuana will be shipped to a manufacturing facility elsewhere.

Flower Xpress will use 450 square feet of warehouse and storage space, and about 2,250 square feet of parking for a vehicle fleet that may grow as large as 20 vehicles.

Nicole Costanzo, Colrain’s town counsel, described Flower Xpress’ business model as similar to Amazon due to the fact that customers will order their product and the company will deliver it the next day. All orders will be processed online and there will be no retail transactions occurring at 270 Greenfield Road. Once ordered, deliveries the next day will be conducted by two drivers wearing body cameras with a secure storage box in the vehicle, and IDs will be checked by a scanner before delivery is complete.

Some residents voiced concerns that a delivery company didn’t fit in Colrain.

“This sounds an awful lot like this is not part of our ag community anymore,” commented resident Nathan Smith, adding that this may be a zoning issue. “That doesn’t sound like it’s agriculture, which is where we were with Bred Genetics.”

Selectboard members noted that their approval of the host community agreements does not guarantee special permit approval, which is still needed from the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, and these types of questions would better fit those meetings.

Other residents expressed concern about Bred Genetics doing business with Flower Xpress and those finances being swept under the rug, thus Colrain would lose tax money. Ledbetter said Flower Xpress will be sourcing its inventory “from places other than Bred Genetics” and there will be “no interaction” between Bred Genetics’ warehouse and the delivery operation.

Costanzo said if the town ever has any doubts about finances, then the Selectboard has the power, through the host community agreements, to hire an independent auditor to check the books.

The Selectboard voted unanimously to approve both agreements with the community impact fee amendments made Tuesday night. From here, the Planning Board and ZBA will schedule public hearings for the two companies and will invite the public to provide input.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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