VIDEO: 26-Acre Cannabis Farm And Research Center Being Constructed In St. Mary’s County

ABELL, Md. – A dispensary owner and medical cannabis grower plans to take the Southern Maryland region back to its agricultural roots with a blooming industry.

Charlie Mattingly, the owner of Southern Maryland Relief, a dispensary located in Mechanicsville, has been working over the past several years to create an innovative industrial complex in St. Mary’s County. The plans consist of constructing thousands of square feet of greenhouses, farmable space, and a research center to bolster one of the most highly anticipated industries nationwide.

With all permits approved and proper prerequisites met, Mattingly has begun construction of what he says is over a $10 million project being built on his property in Seventh District.

A review of building permits and recent construction on the property shows a 52,580-square-foot building under construction at the roughly 26-acre parcel found in the 21000 block of Abell Road. The property is home to several businesses, including at least: Seven Points Agro Therapeutics (dba Prime Extracts), Story Cannabis Co, and Abell Agro.

Seven Points Agro Therapeutics, comprised of three owners, currently holds a medical cannabis processor license in Prince George’s County, as well as a stage one grower license in St. Mary’s. The company’s processing license was recently put on probation for 24 months by the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission(MMCC) for “various alleged violations” back in April of 2021, which stems from administrative problems. According to the consent order, the company which holds the grower license can petition to be taken off probation after 12 months.

Mattingly said that he is glad that the MMCC sets the bar so high because it helps create a better business model.

“The MMCC is a perfect example of what every state should use, they don’t let anyone bend the rules,” Mattingly said. “We have a director of compliance, a former police officer, we offered him a job to make sure everything is in-line. Compliance is a big deal with this industry, and we take that seriously.”

The 26-acre property was transferred by Mattingly for $1.5 million in 2021 to Blue Griz LLC, according to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation website, but the business addresses which Mattingly is named to have all remained the same. Mattingly still lives at the property.

In 2019, Mattingly discussed some of his vision with TheBayNet.com for how he hoped to one day make St. Mary’s County a leader in the medical cannabis field by employing potentially over 100 people.

“Where I live is a farming community and a lot of people struggle,” Mattingly said in 2019. “I want to give these people better jobs and a better future. These are career-based jobs with benefits, not a backyard grow operation.”

After speaking with Mattingly on March 16, 2022, he reassured his commitment to bringing “career jobs with health insurance” to some of the most underserved communities in St. Mary’s County.

However, some concerns have also been raised by nearby residents of Abell, and now a St. Mary’s County Commissioner who has received some complaints.

“When I went out and visited last week, I was appalled at what is being built in the critical area,” Commissioner Mike Hewitt[R] said at the most recent commissioner’s meeting. “I understand that at many times, the Critical Area’s Commission is overbearing. But in this case, you have a group building a 52,580-square-foot, industrial building in the [buffer].”

A Critical Area Worksheet for the property which was reviewed by TheBayNet.com shows that the project plans to maximize the use of the property. When developing property in a critical area, the Department of Natural Resources says that “lot coverage is limited to 15% of the parcel or lot.” Due to the location of this property, the owners will have to work within those parameters.

Several exemptions can be permissible when operating within a critical area, one of which includes an exemption to the environmental buffer that Hewitt noted if the property is farmable or used for an environmental project.

Mattingly told TheBayNet.com that he would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Hewitt to discuss the tangible benefits he is hoping to bring to the area. Mattingly would go on to dispel what he considers “lies” that have been circulating around the construction.

In response to concerns they have received of smells, Mattingly said they have plans to utilize a “Fogco system,” which was described as a “Febreze for marijuana.” He wanted to assure his neighbors that nobody would be able to smell any hint of marijuana with their planned system.

When asked about any potential runoff concerns that watermen may have, Mattingly said that of the minimal runoff that the project will create due to a recirculating system, most of what is used on the plants is water or an entirely natural product such as a soap.

“The state has strict rules on growing it. You can’t use any pesticide or fungicide; it all has to be approved before you use it. The only things you are allowed to put on the plants are approved and natural substances,” he explained.

Of the 1.15 million square feet of space on the property, the project will utilize approximately 168,475-square-feet. This includes the 52,580-square-foot primary “grow house,” but also lists an additional greenhouse which will add an estimated 45,600-square-feet, a temporary greenhouse that will add roughly 17,488-square-feet, a razor-wire fence along with the property, and additional concrete on the property for parking and other purposes.

There is also a 2,500-square-foot administrative building on the property for medical cannabis research and breeding, designated the Charles Mattingly Research and Development Center.

Mattingly also has plans to create a berm and to plant trees to make the project less visible to a passerby.

“It will cost well over a million to do the berm and the trees, and I’m doing that as a courtesy to my neighbors,” he said.

The first phase of the project is expected to finish around July of 2022. Mattingly estimates that once it is operational, this phase will create 25-30 new jobs in the area.

If recreational cannabis is legalized in the future, the operation could expand even further.

Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com