12 3 25 WO PB Draft Minutes

2 - William Sullivan, from Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC, on behalf of the applicant, Blue Violet Grow LLC. - The applicant has obtained a conditional license from the state of New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. - By resolution of the Council, adopted December 10, 2024, the Council declared its local support for this facility under the state regulations, while recognizing that the project cannot proceed without local land use board approval. - Consistent with that resolution on December 4, 2024, Ms. Gary Adams sent the letter to the CRC that is required confirming that the facility complies with the local zoning subject to review of this board or any other appropriate local land use board. - Under the cannabis ordinance, these facilities are permitted as conditional uses in the zoning and a conditional use means that the use is permitted if it meets the conditions in the ordinance. - The applicant is also requesting minor site plan approval. In April 2024, the Board adopted a resolution granting conditional use approval and minor site plan approval for a similar use in a separate building on the same property. - The resolution had a number of conditions in it because the site plan was not complete. There were a number of issues that were raised with the site plan. - The applicant Blue Violet Grow is prepared with the cooperation of the property owner to do all of the things that were supposed to be done as conditions of the approval. - If the board is inclined to grant this approval, then they will have a site plan for the whole lot. - There are several non-conforming conditions on the site. They are not expanding them or increasing the non-conformity. However, they have identified them as variances and are requesting approval of those variances. - The representative of the applicant, Jennifer Hardell, entered on the record, and she was sworn under. She testified to the following: - Ms. Hardell is the founder, owner, and CEO of Blue Violet Grow. - Ms. Hardell testified she has spent time working with her engineers, architects, and security teams this past year to build up the plans. She is about 3 years into the process. - Ms. Hardell has received an early conditional license from the state. - She has received a cultivation license and also a manufacturing license. - She has also worked with the town to receive a letter of support and, in the year

early conditional license from the state. - She has received a cultivation license and also a manufacturing license. - She has also worked with the town to receive a letter of support and, in the year prior, worked with the town to also reopen the moratorium, which was closed at the time. - Ms. Hardell has been running operations for the last 28 years for consumer product goods. She is also an entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of a national beverage brand. Ms. Hardell testifies she is familiar with not only manufacturing, but also building a business, operating a business, and running one as well. - This is a woman-owned business. Her focus is on wellness and health and the products will also be wellness and health based. - Ms. Hardell hopes the product that is cultivated and manufactured in her building can go onto the shelves of the retail dispensaries in West Orange. - Ms. Hardell explained the difference between cultivation and manufacturing. ○ Cultivation is the growing of the plant. ○ Manufacturing is the processing of the plant. ○ If someone has a cultivation license, they can only grow the plant and sell the plant to the dispensary as a full plant. ○ With a manufacturing license, not only can she process the flower that is