Groveland Planning Board votes to repeal marijuana ban, advance zoning overhaul to town meeting

GROVELAND -- March 16, 2026, Groveland Planning Board advances marijuana legalization, mixed-use zoning, and updated driveway rules to annual town meeting. The board voted unanimously Monday on an omnibus set of zoning amendments and, in a separate vote, approved sending a proposal to repeal the town's decade-old ban on marijuana establishments to voters at the April 27 annual town meeting. One member voted against the repeal, stating "I am a strong no on all fronts," while colleagues argued the town deserves a more informed vote given the decade of statewide experience since the original ban. The companion regulatory framework, drafted by the town planner from state model language and amended by the board, would allow marijuana retailers in the business and industrial zones and restrict non-retail operations, cultivators, manufacturers, and testing labs, to the industrial zone only, with a 150-foot buffer from residences and a 1,000-foot buffer from schools, daycares, and playgrounds. The board also approved an approval-not-required endorsement for a two-lot split at 6-8 Pond Street under a recent state housing law allowing reduced frontage requirements for historically separate deeds.