FAQs
We created these in response to the many email questions we have received.
We will continue to update and add answers as time permits.
Have a question. Send it to savetheamwells@gmail.com
Why didn't the planning board listen to the residents?
The Township Committee made the decision to allow a Cannabis Factory on Route 518. The Township Committee sets the zoning and any other rules "conditions" that the applicant must abide by.
The Planning Board members, who are appointed by the mayor, make sure that an application meets the zoning rules and conditions set by the Township Committee (as written in the Ordinance(s)).
In this case, the Planning Board chose to accept the applicant’s assertions that they met all the conditions of the ordinance despite arguments and evidence that they do not.
The Planning Board did put some conditions on their approval. GMNJ agreed to these conditions, even though the West Amwell rules don’t require them. The current rules were written by Chuck Latini who also worked for GMNJ.
The Township Committee should hire an unbiased planner to help and make changes to the ordinances to protect us. The committee - must change the rules – no secret meeting of the West Amwell Township Cannabis Advisory committee.
Why is the 518 factory allowed in a residential area?
The decision to allow cannabis factories – including growing and manufacturing - was made by the Township Committee. In fact, the Township Committee voted to allow cannabis factories in multiple residential areas. Read the rules here and find out what type of facility is allowed near your house. And remember there are no limits on water use, no requirement to process chemical wastewater, lax noise laws and odor cannot be controlled.
How close do you want a factory, even a small one, to you? How far does odor drift?
Will the lawsuit about the septic stop the factory?
It is too soon to tell what impact the lawsuit could have.
The lawsuit alleges that the Hunterdon County Board of Health should not have approved the use of the Septic system because the septic system does not work. We will let you look at the evidence below and decide for yourself.
Read the most recent inspection (2021) completed by Septic Management Group
Condition of Treatment Tanks - Satisfactory, Requires additional investigation
Condition of Distribution Tanks - Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory with concerns
Condition of Dosing System - Unsatisfactory
Condition of Absorption Area - Requires Additional Investigation
The system is missing a dosing tank and the field has trees growing on it.
This follows a well documented history of numerous problems with this system!
Here is what the engineer selected and paid for by GMNJ said.
"No indications of any unsatisfactory conditions were found"
Why didn’t we know about this until the last minute when it was too late?
The Township did not seek resident input and made no effort to let residents know what was happening.
The confidential deal between GMNJ and the Township goes back to 2019 when Mayor Zach Rich wrote a letter of support for GMNJ. That letter was not made public until this year.
And the Township Committee voted to allow cannabis in most areas of West Amwell in August of 2021.
We urge you to watch the video and decide for yourself what happened. The Township Committee made no effort to reach out and inform residents. There was zero discussion at the meeting where the ordinance was passed. How were residents supposed to know?
You can also read the minutes of both meetings where cannabis was on the agenda
Do you see any discussion? Did the Township Committee explain why West Amwell needs Marijuana businesses?