This week the village council of Yellow Springs voted to approve the sale of land to an Illinois-based medical marijuana growing facility. If the sale becomes final, Cresco Labs LLC would take possession of eight acres of land for the cultivation and processing of medical marijuana. The land sits near the current site of Antioch University, just off Dayton Yellow Springs Road.
While other Miami Valley communities have introduced ordinances aimed at keeping medical marijuana growers out - Village Council President Karen Wintrow says the decision to allow Cresco Labs into Yellow Springs just makes sense.
“Agriculture, which is a huge value in Yellow Springs, then we go into high-tech production of a medicinal product," said Wintrow. "Wellness is a huge value in Yellow Springs. And we have the food product, which is also a part of what they produce, and Yellow Springs is a foodie community, so it really feels like we’re really hitting so much of what Yellow Springs values are and where our sensibilities are.”
Cresco would spend about $6 million to build a 25,000-square-foot facility to grow the medical marijuana. Officials say Yellow Springs stands to make about $160,000 dollars on the deal.
The sale still needs to go through a legal review process. The company also needs to apply to the state as a medical marijuana cultivator.
Ohio lawmakers have given approval for as many as 24 medical marijuana cultivation facilities across the state.