Riverside delays vote on land sale for growing medical marijuana

Riverside city council delayed a vote Thursday night on whether to sell 7 acres of city-owned land for a proposed marijuana cultivation site seeking approval from the state.

If approved, the measure would allow the city manager to enter into an agreement to sell the land, the so-called Center of Flight site off of Springfield Street near the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, for $20,000 an acre.

The sale would be contingent upon the company, Farms of Riverside LLC, obtaining a license to cultivate medical marijuana from the state.

Farms of Riverside is one of 109 companies listed by the state as filing an application for a Level 1 application, meaning it could initially grow up to 25,000 square feet. Another 76 companies applied for a Level II license to grow up to 3,000 square feet.

State law allows for only a dozen of each license to be approved statewide.

Riverside City Manager Mark Carpenter said the city has long looked for a use for the vacant property, and the indoor cultivation facility — which would need to be built — could bring 50 to 70 jobs.

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About the Author

Josh Sweigart

Josh Sweigart is an investigative reporter at the Dayton Daily News. His stories have focused on government waste, fraud, abuse and accountability in southwest Ohio, as well as the statehouse and U.S. Capitol.