Porter Town Board approves local laws on battery storage systems, cannabis operations

Town to host National Grid session on smart meters

Staff Reports

At its regular meeting March 9, the Town of Porter Town Board set the stage for the year ahead with the passing of two new local laws.

Leading off was Local Law No. 1 of 2026 Bess – Battery Energy Storage Systems. According to Peter Jeffery, town building/code enforcement officer, the measure creates new regulations covering the installation and uses of BESS locations within Porter. Its seeks to ensure compatible land uses for such operations while mitigating impacts to agricultural lands, forests, wildlife and other protected resources.

There was no resident comments heard at the opening public hearing. Local Law No. 1 was approved 3-0 on a motion by board members Tim Adamson and Jipp Ortiz. Supervisor John “Duffy” Johnston and Councilman Larry White were both absent.

Also approved was Local Law No. 2 of 2026 Cannabis Uses. The measure, likewise, saw no public comment by residents. It was endorsed earlier by the Niagara County Planning Board and went on to be approved 3-0 on motions from Adamson and Ortiz. The town has been operating under a temporary moratorium with respect to issuing any new cannabis applications.

Jeffery termed it the town’s response to regulate the various permitted operations of state-licensed cannabis entities allowed within Porter. He commented the new law has its focus on such areas as time, place and manner when it comes to permitted adult-use cannabis operations and their locations.

“We worked out laws in an effort to protect the life, safety and well-being of our residents in the Town of Porter,” Jeffery said. Under the measure, he said cannabis operations would be permitted in some areas according to the type of license and applicability with regard to state agriculture/markets laws, but not in others.

Of the siting of establishments in the town’s industrial zones, for example, he continued, “There’s so many different categories; so, most of the uses that aren’t retail, we pushed (these) to Balmer Road. Of course, there’s the different license groups that have agricultural element attached. If they’re growing anything, if they’re protected by ag and markets laws, then because of that they’re allowed in our rural agricultural districts.

“Most of the cannabis-licensed groups that we broke down are going to require a special use permit to be made operable, to get approval,” by the town. “Most of them are going to be allowed in our industrial zoning district.

“But the retail end of it, the dispensary, can (also) be allowed in our commercial districts.”

That includes the hamlet of Ransomville on the town’s east end, but not the Village of Youngstown. The village opted out as a participating municipality when the state Office of Cannabis Management first invited villages, towns and cities across New York to join in.

“We didn’t think it could fit in anywhere,” Johnston said.

Also out are various areas in Porter the town classifies as rural commercial districts. Jeffery said these typically comprise a single or smaller group of businesses adjoining rural agricultural/residential areas, such as in the Creek Road/Balmer Road/Blairville-East Avenue neighborhood.

“It’s not going to be allowed (there). It’s only going to be allowed in a commercial mixed-use” area, he said. “And the key element there is (the distance). We established bigger (property setbacks) than even what the Office of Cannabis Management set for distance from school parameters.

“Our best efforts to protect Ransomville, we increased those setbacks from those public entities like churches, schools, the library. We increased it to a half mile. … So, you think about, basically, the rural commercial district in Ransomville is one mile each side of the stoplight” at Youngstown-Lockport/Ransomville roads.

Jeffery said there are potential areas for cannabis in the town’s rural commercial zoned area, such as Ransomville Road north of the hamlet out toward Braley Road in the town: “There’s some vacant land there that isn’t near a church or a school. There is potential that something could in there.”

Of potential siting locations, he added, “Cannabis retail dispensaries are allowed in a CMU (commercial mixed-use) zoning district. Everything else is industrial” (zoning), with the balance of cannabis growers permitted in the town’s RA (rural agricultural) and LDR (low density residential) zones. “(These) are growers who are going to have ag and markets protection.”

Smart meters

Niagara County First District Legislator Irene Myers announced utility provider National Grid will present an information session on smart meters at 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, at Town Hall, 3265 Creek Road. Featured will be a National Grid presentation on the new smart meter electrical monitoring devices being installed, followed by a Q&A session.

“I have received a lot of questions about smart meters, so I organized this meeting so you can hear directly from National Grid. Please join us,” Myers said.

For more information on the new smart meters, visit www.ngrid.com/smartmeter.