Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan announced hat Cresco Labs, a vertically integrated cannabis and medical marijuana company, is moving forward with the planning process to develop a major cannabis cultivation, processing, packaging and distribution facility in the Ellenville area on a former manufacturing site that was once home to Channel Master and the Schrade Knife company. The County and representatives from Cresco Labs have met with local and state officials to begin reviewing designs for the proposed facility, which would employ 300 to 400 hundred residents once fully operational.

The exact size of the facility is still being determined, but is expected to be at least 360,000 SF and would involve an investment of over $50 million by Cresco. The 71-acre parcel, located on Route 209 in the Town of Wawarsing, left behind a vacant building that was demolished in 2015.

“Local industry once thrived here, with good-paying jobs close to home, the hallmark of companies like Schrade Knife and Channel Master. So, after decades of shuttered doors and empty lots, it is exciting to have an investment of this magnitude formally under consideration—and at this very site,” State Senator Mike Martucci (R,C,I-Hudson Valley and Catskills) said.

“This opportunity is much-needed and presents major potential for this rural, economically distressed area to be at the forefront of our State’s burgeoning cannabis industry. I welcome Cresco Labs to Ulster County, and I look forward to working with County Executive Ryan to help them forge strong bonds with the community and see this project through to completion.”