BRAINTREE – A referendum appears unlikely on a proposed zoning change to allow a marijuana growing operation in Braintree. 

The town charter allows the council to place measures before the voters, but only at regular town elections, Town Clerk James Casey told the town council's ordinance and rules committee Monday night. The next town election is scheduled for November 2023.

He also outlined the process where voters can petition a referendum, but the process would require more than 3,000 petition signatures, most of them collected in a 30-day period.

Flower Xpress is seeking a zoning change that would allow a growing facility to open at 280 Ivory St. in a long-vacant warehouse next to the Braintree MBTA station and across from the transfer station. 

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The proposal would not allow retail sales of recreational marijuana in town, and there are no plans for any retail at the Flower Xpress facility.

Some residents, including former Town Councilor Dan Clifford, have said the issue should be settled by the voters through a referendum question. 

In the 2016 state referendum that legalized recreational marijuana, Braintree voters opposed the measure by a vote of 10,985 to 9,251, with five of the six council districts voting in opposition.

During Monday's meeting, representatives from Flower Xpress outlined plans for the filtration system designed to prevent odors from escaping the facility as well as systems that would use rainwater  and dehumidifiers inside the facility to reduce its demand on the water supply. Solar panels would supply some of the facility's power.

The company said the town stands to receive about $6 million per year in marijuana excise taxes from the operation. The business would employ about 200 people, with preference given to Braintree residents for jobs.

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The ordinance and rules committee will make a recommendation to the full council on the proposal. The planning board has already endorsed the measure, while the board of health is opposed. A two-thirds majority vote of the council is needed to approve the measure.

Town Councilor-at-Large David Ringius, who chairs the ordinance and rules committee, said he would schedule a meeting for later this month to discuss the proposed zoning change. He noted the measure would not only apply to the Ivory Street location but other areas of town.

"There's a lot for us to consider," Ringius said.

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