City starts approval process for marijuana businesses

MOUNT CLEMENS — Marijuana businesses would be allowed in certain areas of the city zoned for heavy industrial, light industrial and general commercial uses under a revised business ordinance.

The Mount Clemens City Commission voted April 18 to approve the introduction and first reading of a revised city of Mount Clemens marihuana business ordinance, which would allow marijuana growers, processors, provisioning centers, retail establishments and consumption establishments within certain areas of the city.

A grower, safety compliance location, processor or secure transporter must be located within light industrial or heavy industrial zoning districts and must not be within 1,000 feet of a school; 200 feet of a public park, church or religious institution; 150 feet of a residential zoning district; or 1,500 feet of another marijuana business.

Provisioning centers, retail establishments and designated consumption establishments have the same prohibitions, except they may also be located within general commercial zoning districts in addition to light and heavy industrial districts.

If the ordinance is approved after its second reading May 2, applicants seeking to open such a business in the city must be licensed by the state of Michigan and also must apply for a $5,000 annual permit from the city.

Provisioning centers and retail establishments would be permitted to operate between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., while designated consumption establishments would be permitted to operate between 9 a.m. and 1 a.m.

Public speakers at the meeting questioned why the city was charging such a high annual permit fee when it is still requiring businesses to be preapproved by the state, and others pointed out that, while the ordinance protects school children and residents in Mount Clemens, it does not do so in Clinton Township. The location limits only apply to those zoning districts, schools and residences in Mount Clemens, City Attorney Michael Murray said.

“Its impact, as it relates to properties that are not located in the city, I don’t know if it has any application,” he said. “If there’s a residential piece (of property) that’s in Clinton Township, that has nothing to do with our ordinance.”

Mount Clemens is bordered by Clinton and Harrison townships.

Other speakers decried the ordinance as “more flawed than the last one,” which failed to pass after commissioners declined to support it during the second reading of the ordinance in March.

Murray said the prequalification process for marijuana businesses has been in place since only medical marijuana growers were allowed. Because of the distance requirements between businesses, he explained, applicants will eliminate other locations from consideration in the same area. Without being preapproved by the state, he said, “we may end up with some applicants who we approved, but they didn’t ultimately get the state approval.”

The initial acceptance period for applications, if the ordinance is approved in May, would be for two weeks at the end of June.

While some commission members questioned the 1,500-foot distance between establishments, Commissioner Barb Dempsey pointed out that the areas where marijuana businesses would be allowed are small enough that this issue wouldn’t arise often.

“There isn’t a whole lot of places you’re going to be on top of each other,” she said. “Your map is going to determine the whole thing.”

Commissioner Glen Voorhess said he thought the ordinance was a good jumping-off point. Murray pointed out that any ordinance can still be amended if the City Commission feels the need to do so.

“We’ve kind of gummed this to death,” Voorhess said.

Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the introduction and first reading of the ordinance. It will be before the City Commission again May 2.