NEW BUFFALO — Whether to allow the sale of marijuana in New Buffalo is now up to the City Council to decide.
The New Buffalo Planning Commission voted 3 to 1 last week to recommend approval of a zoning ordinance specifying where marijuana shops can locate in the city.
City Manager Darwin Watson said the council will begin the process next month of deciding whether to grant final approval to the proposed zoning ordinance, which would legalize the sale of marijuana in the city.
Unless amended, the zoning ordinance would allow marijuana shops to locate in select locations primarily on the far east and far south sides of the city.
Riding Shotgun with the Gary Fire Department
Communities were given the option to allow for the sale of marijuana after voters statewide in 2018 chose to make the drug legal for retail distribution in Michigan.
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New Buffalo decided not to allow for the sale of marijuana but started considering it after taking a survey that disclosed registered voters in the city, by about a 2 to 1 margin, favored legalizing marijuana.
Planning Commission Chairman Paul Billingslea said he believes the proposed zoning ordinance accomplishes what he and his colleagues set out to do. That was to follow the wishes of citizens while not allowing marijuana to be sold in locations highly visible to the general public, such as downtown.
“We tried to develop a zoning plan that keeps this on the edge of town in areas that are not highly occupied right now. We think this strikes the best balance,” he said.
Specifically, the proposed ordinance prohibits marijuana dispensaries from being within 1,000 feet of a school or church or adjacent to residentially zoned areas.
The sale of marijuana would also be prohibited within the city’s central business district.
“It probably captures what we discussed previously,” said Planning Commission member Roxanne Rau.
“It’s exactly what we discussed,” said Debbie Schmidt, another member of the commission.
Voting against the favorable recommendation was Mark Joseph, who believes allowing for the sale of marijuana would be a mistake. Joseph said marijuana is not viewed as seriously as it once was, but it still poses a risk to the physical and mental health of users.
He also pointed to studies that show higher motor vehicle accident rates in communities where it’s legal. He said that legalizing marijuana sets a bad example for youth.
“I’m from the generation that saw marijuana make the leap from the underbelly of society to being accepted. I’ve seen too many people who have used it as a gateway drug and helped bury a couple of them,” Joseph said.
Mayor John Humphrey said the City Council could make some minor changes, like requiring marijuana shops be a certain distance from each other, before voting on the proposed zoning ordinance.
Humphrey said the council will also review the regulations governing the operation of marijuana shops in Michigan before deciding whether to allow it to be sold here.
“There’s still a lot of discussion to be had. That’s where we’re at,” he said.
Watson said the earliest the council can begin the final decision-making process is during its next regularly scheduled meeting April 17.
He said the matter could be decided in July or August if there are no delays in the process, which require public hearings on the proposed ordinance prior to a vote.
The retail sale of marijuana is already legal in nearby communities such as Three Oaks, Buchanan and Niles.
Gallery: The Times Photos of the Week
Boys Class 4A Semi-State basketball semi-finals
Hammond Central’s Jordan Woods is fouled by Penn’s Joe Smith Saturday at the Class 4A semistate semifinals.
Boys Class 4A Semi-State basketball semi-finals
Hammond Central’s Jordan Woods is fouled by Penn’s Joe Smith Saturday at the Class 4A semistate semifinals.
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Marquette Catholic’s Lukas Balling (12) gets his shot off under the basket against Kouts’ Landon Garrett (42) and Matthew Baker (30) in the fourth quarter of the Class 1A semistate semifinal game Saturday afternoon at Lafayette Jefferson High School.
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Marquette Catholic’s Jason Kobe (24) goes up to the basket against Kouts’ Matthew Baker (30) as Marquette Catholic’s Lukas Balling and (12) Kouts’ Colten Hamann (12) position themselves in the third quarter of the Class 1A semistate semifinal game Saturday afternoon at Lafayette Jefferson High School.
Crown Point’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
Jack Kokos, 4, waits with his mother, Jilian, for the St. Patrick’s Day parade to start Friday in Crown Point.
Crown Point’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
A leprechaun on a unicorn passes during the St. Patrick’s Day parade Friday in Crown Point.
Crown Point’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
Members of the Pipes and Drums of Lake County perform Friday before the start of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Crown Point.
Crown Point’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
Children wait for candy Friday at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Crown Point.
Crown Point’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
Lukas Karwatka, 4, of Lowell waves to the Lake County Sheriff’s helicopter at the St. Patrick’s Day parade Friday in Crown Point.
Crown Point’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
Maddy Garcia waits for the start of the St. Patrick’s Day parade Friday in Crown Point.
Lake Central students go bald for charity
Senior Todd Blankenship, 18, has his hair cut by Joanne Lane by Texture Pointe Salon in Highland at the St. Baldrick’s cancer-research fundraiser Friday at Lake Central High School in St. John.
Lake Central students go bald for charity
Olivia Pawlak, 17, a high school junior, loses her locks to Allie Grimler of Robert Anthony Hair Design in Schererville at the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser Friday at Lake Central High School in St. John.
Going bald for a cause
Students Braden Hurley, 14, left, and Kristofer Garner, 15, lose lots of their hair to Julie Corydon and Michelle Perko from Texture Pointe Salon in Highland at the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser Friday at Lake Central High School in St. John.
Bald for a Cause in Crown Point
Cosmetologist Kaylie Asher of SportClips trims the hair and beard from Dan Schiefer at the Bald for a Cause St. Baldrick’s fundraiser Thursday at Off Square Brewing in Crown Point. Schiefer, a Lowell Middle School teacher, is a server-bartender at the microbrwery.
Bald for a Cause in Crown Point
Cosmetologists Kimberly Hanson-Brzezinski and Kaylie Asher trim the heads of Brian Laneve and Dan Schiefer at the Bald for a Cause St. Baldrick’s fundraiser Thursday at Off Square Brewing in Crown Point. Both men work at the microbrewery.
Appeals on Wheels comes to Andrean High School
Indiana Appeals Court Judge Elizabeth Tavitas (left) shares in a conversation with Lake Superior Court Magistrate Shaun Olsen and students Elizabeth Voliva and Kristen Schutz at a luncheon before an Indiana Appeals Court session Thursday at Andrean High School in Merrillville.
Appeals on Wheels comes to Andrean High School
Indiana Appeals Court Judge Elizabeth Tavitas answers questions Thursday posed by Andrean High School students in Merrillville as part of the court’s Traveling Oral Argument.
Appeals on Wheels comes to Andrean High School
Student Jackson Tennison asks a question of Indiana Appeals Court judges Thursday as part of the court’s Traveling Oral Argument at Andrean High School in Merrillville.
Tolleston Opportunity Hub
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb speaks Tuesday at a press conference to discuss a $30 million project that will expand the existing Boys and Girls Club and add a YMCA and a medical facility.
Tolleston Opportunity Hub
Gary Mayor Jerome Prince chats with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Tuesday at a press conference to discuss a $30 million Tolleston Opportunity Hub project.
Radio-controlled flyers take to the sky at the Sparta Dome
“Jim”, Lou Panozzo and Dennis Shipley fly their model planes at the Sparta Dome in Crown Point.
Radio-controlled flyers take to the sky at the Sparta Dome
An RC model plane flies inverted at the Sparta Dome in Crown Point.
Radio-controlled flyers take to the sky at the Sparta Dome
Jeri Guinee of Hobart replaces a motor in a radio controlled plane at the Sparta Dome in Crown Point.
Radio-controlled flyers take to the sky at the Sparta Dome
Jeri Guinee of Hobart teaches Times reporter Molly Devore how to fly a radio controlled plane at the Sparta Dome in Crown Point.
Radio-controlled flyers take to the sky at the Sparta Dome
Dennis Shipley, left, confers with long-time flyer Stanley Zolodz at the Sparta Dome in Crown Point.
LOFS fire force looks for, trains recruits
Firefighters from Lakes of the Four Seasons look over various types of keys they carry for elevator rescue.
LOFS fire force looks for, trains recruits
Lakes of the Four Seasons firefighters Ryan Kondrat and Gary Elliott gather up hoses in the hallway during a training session at Crown Point Christian Village in Winfield.
LOFS fire force looks for, trains recruits
Rob Grady, chief of training with the Gary Fire Department, talks with members of the Lakes of the Four Seasons Fire Department about water-pressure requirements for fighting upper-floor fires.
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