Officials are dismissing the possibility of allowing outdoor marijuana farms in the township, but people interested in the business still have hope about the viability of the project.
The Township Council recently issued a resolution denying Grasshopper Farms NJ a letter of support needed to secure full licensing from state marijuana regulators.
Grasshopper Farms had been planning to operate a facility for outdoor marijuana cultivation, an idea that has polarized residents.
Township officials stressed that an indoor-grow site for marijuana cultivation would be a permitted use, and Grasshopper officials said they would work toward opening such a business at the site.
Mayor Anthony Coppola said the township did not include outdoor grow as a permitted use. He said authorizing outdoor grow would be a time-intensive process to which the township was not ready to commit, one that would involve the passage of a new ordinance and the clearing of several municipal regulatory hurdles.