Riverside votes to sell land for marijuana farm near Air Force museum

City Council voted 4-2 Thursday night to sell three acres of land next to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to Farms of Riverside LLC, pending they win a state license to cultivate medical marijuana.

Before the vote, the council members discussed their reasons for backing or opposing the issue.

“The community out there is not at all interested of having the reputation of having medical marijuana grown across from the museum,” Councilwoman Sara Lommatzsch said.

Credit: JAMES BUECHELE / STAFF

Credit: JAMES BUECHELE / STAFF

“I think we have to grab this and just hope that we get the license,” Councilman Steven Fullenkamp said.

Mayor William Flaute said the council has been considering the issue for a long time. He said that while he has struggled reaching a decision, he now supports it.

“I’ve talked to numerous citizens about this,” he said. “The reason that really got me is 88 percent of people in the United States of America believe medical marijuana is a positive thing, so how can that be a negative for our community?

MORE: Bike path could impede Riverside’s medical marijuana plans

“I don’t believe that it’s going to hurt the reputation of our city and it will only be a good thing for us,” Flaute said.

After the vote some residents left immediately, apparently in disgust of the vote’s outcome.

Mike Horn of Farms of Riverside said his company looks forward to working on building he $3 million structure and bringing jobs to the community.

“We think it’s a very positive step for the region and also the community of Riverside,” he said.

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EARLIER REPORT

The city of Riverside will vote tonight on whether to sell three acres of land at the Center of Flight, near the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, to the Farms of Riverside, LLC, according to Councilman Steve Fullenkamp.

The parties are negotiating a site that will ensure the cultivation facility is not within 500 feet of the Mad River Trail, said Riverside law director Dalma Grandjean said earlier this month.

The sale would be contingent upon the Farms of Riverside obtaining a license to cultivate medical marijuana from the state. The state is aiming to have applications for cultivators approved and reviewed by early November.

MORE: Riverside council tables medical marijuana land sale vote

Earlier this month, the Dayton Daily News reported the proposed medical marijuana cultivation facility could be too close to Mad River Trail bike path, complicating the bid to land the business in the city.

Applicants for medical marijuana businesses in Ohio must demonstrate that the business will not be located within 500 feet of a school, church, public library, public playground or public park.

Five Rivers MetroParks manages the Mad River Trail. Under the MetroPark’s bylaws, a park is defined as, “Any land or water area owned, leased, managed, or otherwise controlled by Five Rivers MetroParks.”

The meeting is 7 p.m. at Riverside’s city offices, 5200 Springfield Street, Suite 100.

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