Wednesday, December 6, 2023–7:46 a.m.
-Adam Carey, Rome News-Tribune-
This story is possible because of a news-sharing agreement with the Rome News-Tribune. More information can be found at northwestgeorgianews.com.
The Rome and Floyd County Planning Commission will consider a request to rezone the building containing the Rome Athletic Club in order to allow a commercial hemp growing business to operate there.
The front portion of the building at 2 Center St. is currently occupied by the Rome Athletic Club. The hemp growing operation would be in the rear and the owner, Charles Craton, is seeking to have the property rezoned from Community Commercial to Light Industrial.
“These are completely separate businesses, and none of these changes will affect the Rome Athletic Club,” Craton said. “My daughter Calley, who has a degree in agriculture from Auburn, will be running the hemp business.”
The Center Street property would be used for hemp growing and drying only. The hemp will then be processed into products like gummies, tinctures and creams containing, cannabidiol or CBD oil, at another location.
CBD is a compound found in marijuana, but is not impairing, and is derived from hemp or from non-hemp plants. Hemp is defined as any part of the cannabis sativa plant with no more than 0.3% of THC, the mind-altering substance found in marijuana.
“We will be growing our first crop of hemp in purpose-built tents inside the space,” Calley Craton said. “We’ve also looked at larger spaces, but this will do for our first crop.”
She said the products would be sold on their website, CalleyKush.com.
“We have received our cultivation license from the state of Georgia,” Calley Craton said. “The other hemp license is a processing license, which would allow us to turn the hemp into products.”
She said she believes this would be the first hemp growing operation in Floyd County; others are already established in neighboring counties like Bartow. Retail CBD sales are projected to bring in $4.5 billion in 2024, according to Chicago-based analytics firm Brightfield Group.
The planning commission, which meets Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Rome City Hall, will also consider two other requests.
The owner of a property at 200 Tom Bing Road is requesting rezoning from Suburban Residential to Agricultural Residential. Plans are to build a single-family home on the property with the ability to have a few horses and cows as well.
The owner of a property at 115 Lombardy Way is requesting a rezoning from Community Commercial to Neighborhood Office Commercial in order to sell the existing house.
