Walsenburg selling 330 acres to firm building marijuana greenhouses

Construction of a large-scale marijuana greenhouse facility is expected to begin in Walsenburg in the coming months.

Martra Holdings Company, a Denver-based construction and development firm, is in negotiations with the city to purchase 330 acres of land. The city owns the property and is in the process of annexing the land currently known as the “City Ranch.”

The company plans to hire between 500 and 600 people over the next few years to construct nearly 100 greenhouses and work in them.

“Martra is seeking to prove out a model for efficiency and social responsibility in the industry while demonstrating that a cannabis-based taxation program can provide economic revitalization and stability to an area like Huerfano County that has suffered economic setbacks in recent decades,” said Brian Trani, founder and CEO of Martra.

City Administrator David Johnston said the marijuana industry could be the key to boosting the area’s economy.

“We should see more residents that’ll take some pressure off of our utilities. The more residents we have, hopefully we can lower utility rates as a result of that,” Johnston said.

According to a city news release, Walsenburg City Council passed an ordinance in March that allows for retail marijuana stores, cultivation facilities, products manufacturing and marijuana testing.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 asked Johnston if there has been opposition to the plan.

“At this point, we haven’t had a great deal of opposition and, at this point, I believe it’s because the business plan calls for the marijuana that’s grown in these greenhouses to be shipped outside the county and to other parts of the state,” Johnston said.

Johnston would not elaborate on how much the sale of the land will cost Martra since the negotiation is still underway. The deal is set to close on June 2.

Martra is expected to begin construction on the project no later than this summer.