Medical marijuana could soon be grown in Schuylkill County.

DocHouse LLC wants to have a growing and cultivating facility in Norwegian Township along Route 61 near the Fairlane Village mall. The company is based in Chester Springs, according to state Department of Corporations filings."We want to come in and positively impact the community," attorney Justin S. Moriconi, a partner in the company, said.The property on bedrock abuts Route 61 to the west, Ann Street to the east, open land and/or access roads to the north and elevated acreage to the south, according to documents submitted with the zoning variance.The lot is 19.3 acres, according to a variance application filed with Norwegian Township, which lists the address of the DocHouse in Elkins Park. The property is owned by the Seitzinger Group of Pottsville. A representative with the group did not return a request for comment Monday.A public hearing on the variance will be held 7 p.m. Feb. 9 in the township municipal building, 506 Maple Ave., Mar Lin. DocHouse LLC is seeking a variance for relief from Article 11, C-2 Travelers Commercial District, Section 1101 A, principal use regulations, and Section 1101 B, accessory use regulations. The applicant is seeking uses from Article 13-1-2 Industrial District, Section 1301A, seven permitted principal uses, and 1301B, one permitted accessory use, according to a legal advertisement published in The Republican-Herald.Documents show plans for several greenhouses and an area to include office space, storage and processing of the marijuana."The facility does not sell anything to the public, only to other permitting medical cannabis entities in Pennsylvania. There will be only one proposed industrial-type use, a medical cannabis cultivation and processing facility," according to the documents.Gov. Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 3 into law last year. Pennsylvania residents who are receiving care from a physician for treatment of an approved condition as provided by law may obtain medical marijuana, but they must have an identification card provided by the state. The state will issue permits for dispensaries and growers/processors. Medical marijuana cannot be purchased in Pennsylvania.Moriconi said the company will apply for one of the permits. Statewide, there are six medical marijuana regions - northwest, northcentral, northeast, southwest, southcentral and southeast. Schuylkill County is in the southeast region. A limited number of dispensary permits and grower/processor permits are issued for each region.That does not deter Moriconi."We are not giving up," he said, adding if they are not successful in the first round, they will keep applying.The company has been looking for about two years at sites in Pennsylvania. Moriconi said there are several reasons he selected Schuylkill County.He said the property they have a sales agreement for is "perfect for a cannabis operation." He also said the property is high elevation, not easily accessible and away from other properties.Lighting and fencing are some of the security features for the facility."Every single inch of this place is going to be monitored," Moriconi said, adding state police can also monitor the area.If developed on, the property will add to the tax rolls."The property has not been developed at any time during its over 60 years of ownership" under the current zoning, according to documents.The settlement date is Aug. 4, but it can be extended, Moriconi said. The purchase price is $195,000, but it is contingent on getting required approvals and permits for the medical marijuana facility.Moriconi said Schuylkill County needs more investment."This is an area that has a lot of potential," he said.If approved, Moriconi said the facility could be up operational by the end of the year or early 2018.Distributed by Associated Press.