County also rejects a license request for pot-infused product manufacturing business

Pitkin County commissioners on Wednesday approved one license for the county’s first outdoor grow operation, and denied another for a marijuana-infused product manufacturing enterprise.

The Stash marijuana dispensary, which operates an existing cannabis growing operation in the Roaring Fork Valley, is looking to expand to an outdoor operation for 250 plants on its mid-valley property.

The applicants, Garrett and Shawna Patrick, went before the county commissioners on Wednesday requesting approval for a fenced-in, secure outdoor grow site on their 60-acre property to help augment their operation.

Stash’s license was first approved conditionally in 2014, and all conditions have been met. No complaints have been logged against the indoor grow operation since it first opened in 2011, county staff noted.

The commissioners voiced concerns over the style of fencing being erected, security measures, and the operation’s proximity to the Rio Grande...