A proposal for a 33,700-square-foot cannabis greenhouse on Middle Road in Calverton got its first public airing before the Riverhead Planning Board Thursday night, drawing dozens of nearby residents concerned about the plan.

The applicant, Brother Bear Canna, is seeking site plan approval for the one-story structure at 1458 Middle Road. The facility would include grow rooms, fertigation and drying areas, packaging space, employee locker rooms and break areas, mechanical equipment, and an asphalt parking area.

The 5.3-acre property is located within the town’s Agricultural Protection Zone, where greenhouses are allowed on parcels of five acres or more. Under state law, cannabis is classified as an agricultural crop when cultivated under a license issued by the state Office of Cannabis Management.

“No further environmental review is required pursuant to SEQRA because it involves an agricultural use consistent with principles of farming,” Riverhead Senior Planner Greg Bergman told Planning Board members last week.

Read more at Riverhead Local