BOULDER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LET APPROVAL OF LONGMONT-AREA POT FARM
STAND

A decision by the Boulder County Land Use Department to approve the
transformation of a one-time organic egg farm north of Longmont into a
marijuana growing operation will stand, county commissioners decided
Tuesday morning.

The commissioners decided not to "call up" the docket for a public
hearing, which means the Land Use Department's decision is final. But
the commissioners said that the 67-acre Szymanski Farms, 10347
Yellowstone Road, will face other hurdles before marijuana can
actually be planted there.

"They certainly cannot begin operations before the state and local
licensing takes place," said Commissioner Will Toor. "At this point,
we do not know what the state licensing will look like, and we have
not yet developed the local licensing. I think it's an open question
whether this operation will be able to make it through that process."

At the beginning of June, the owners of Szymanski Farms submitted a
"site plan review" application to the county to change the use allowed
on their farm from commercial feed yard to intensive agricultural.
Scott Mullner, of Laramie, Wyo., joined Cyd and Steve Szymanski on the
application with the plan of buying the farm if the land-use change --
which would allow medical marijuana to be grown and processed inside
the five existing agricultural buildings on the property -- goes through.

On June 8, the commissioners voted to revise the county's land-use
codes to restrict where medical marijuana dispensaries and growing
operations can set up shop. The new rules forbid the operation of
marijuana centers in any agricultural zone, but the Szymanskis'
application -- which was turned in days before the changes were
approved -- is being judged by the older rules.

Earlier this month, the Land Use Department decided that the site plan
review application did, in fact, meet the rules laid out in the older
code.