Recent Experience with Cannabis Production Facility Noise

Massachusetts has recently joined the growing number of states incorporating fully-legalized medicinal and recreational cannabis. With an annual sales forecast of about $2B in Massachusetts alone, commercial-scale production of cannabis presents opportunities through the supply chain from the grower to the distributor. With these opportunities for expansion come challenges that need to be considered in the design of cultivation facilities: industrial-scale facilities have demanding electricity needs; typical growing methods require full HVAC load for up to 24-hours per day; and real estate parcels available to cannabis production are often on the border of industrial and residential areas with low background sound levels. This paper examines a recent project for a new 36,000 square-foot facility in Holliston, Massachusetts, within 450 feet of residential properties. We will discuss the challenges found in balancing the facility's needs with maintaining a very quiet community noise level, including measurement results of the existing community, predicted noise levels of the required outdoor equipment, and the recommended noise control measures. This project is expected to be typical of many cannabis cultivation facilities, and presents an opportunity to further understand both the typical and unique needs of the cannabis sector.