SALINE, MI - A popular Saline ice cream shop is well on its way to becoming the city’s first marijuana dispensary after landing the blessing of local elected leaders on Monday, May 16.
The development at the site of what is now Mickey’s Dairy Twist on West Michigan Avenue promises to transform the iconic local business into a medical marijuana facility, with developers also pursuing permits to sell adult-use, recreational cannabis there.
Saline City Council voted 6-1 to grant a zoning permit on Monday, allowing the plans to proceed to final stages and detailed consideration by city planners.
The proposal continued to provoke pleas from nearby residents upset the family-friendly spot for frozen treats could be replaced with an establishment they framed as unfit for an area frequented by children.
Read more: Beloved Saline ice cream shop could become city’s first marijuana dispensary
The marijuana business falls within the limited boundaries city leaders selected when allowing medical marijuana facilities last summer and opening the door to recreational cannabis establishments in March.
Still, developers chose one of the only permitted spots near a residential area, said City Council Member Janet Dillon, adding it represented a “gross oversight” by the city.
The city leader, the sole no vote on the zoning permit, said she wasn’t opposed to dispensaries, but the location close to homes felt inappropriate. “I’m really upset that this has gotten to this point,” she said.
The proposal has already prompted Saline to hit pause on new marijuana business permitting, taking another look at city rules that are in some cases only weeks old, after outcry over the planned dispensary and its proximity to a day care center.
Read more: Outcry over dispensary near day care prompts pause in marijuana permitting in Saline
But the freeze on processing new applications doesn’t affect the progress of existing projects, like the one at the site of the Dairy Twist.
On Monday, Shaun Mansour, an attorney representing developer AM & BH Industries, LLC, defended the plans, assuring city leaders the business represents an attractive redevelopment opportunity in a highly-regulated industry.
“Consider it a convenience store that does not allow children to enter,” he said, emphasizing that all transactions will take place indoors in the “adult-only business” that developers have no problem making appear discreet from the outside.
The planned dispensary represents a chance to refresh the commercial lot near the city’s western boundary, Mansour added, referencing plans to demolish a residential building on the Mickey’s property, while adding landscaping and parking.
One city council member, Mayor Pro-Tem Dean Girbach, took steps to ensure that measure was attached to the city’s special land use permit, motioning to place a condition on the approval that developers remove elements of the lot that aren’t up to city code.
That includes removing the home on the property and ensuring stormwater management standards are met, he said.
The development can’t yet proceed to construction, though.
Developers will have to submit a final site plan, which will go before the city planning commission for detailed review of items like parking requirements and conformance with other local laws, according to Saline Mayor Brian Marl.
Those meetings will be public, with further opportunities for resident input, the mayor said.
Meanwhile, developers struck an optimistic tone.
“It will work. I’ve seen it work in many communities,” pledged Mansour. “I think we can provide a benefit to the community. These businesses do make good money, and I promise that we’re going to give back to this community.”
More from The Ann Arbor News:
Want to help shape Saline’s parks? City is hosting input meetings this summer
$180M bond could go before Saline Area Schools voters this fall
With ambulance service understaffed, Ann Arbor firefighters stepping up
‘The Five Year Engagement’ came out 10 years ago when Ann Arbor was a Midwest Hollywood
"local" - Google News
May 17, 2022 at 07:27AM
https://ift.tt/iNLZD12
Saline OKs permit for marijuana dispensary at longtime local ice cream shop - MLive.com
"local" - Google News
https://ift.tt/G3B06V8
https://ift.tt/iZTVyDs
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Saline OKs permit for marijuana dispensary at longtime local ice cream shop - MLive.com"
Post a Comment