Want to comment on recreational marijuana's future in Meridian Township? Here's your chance
Bryce AirgoodMERIDIAN TWP. — With voters opting against outright banning recreational marijuana businesses, township officials now are hoping people who want to comment on the future of recreational marijuana in the township will speak out in December.
The Meridian Township Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing at its 7 p.m. Dec. 12 meeting to take input on updating the township’s zoning ordinance to account for recreational marijuana establishments.
“It’s just the first step,” Meridian Township Community Planning and Development Director Tim Schmitt said. “So hopefully we'll keep this thing moving forward and get public input and let the board make a decision.”
Meridian Township currently prohibits all recreational marijuana establishments under an ordinance adopted in 2019. Medical marijuana is allowed in certain areas with licensing and permitting, but there are no open medical marijuana facilities or active licenses.
In August, the grassroots organization Keep Meridian Safe, which opposed allowing recreational marijuana businesses in the township, spearheaded efforts to get a proposal on the ballot that would have prohibited the establishments. After a September recount, the proposal narrowly lost by six votes: 6,153-6,147.
While marijuana establishments remain prohibited under the 2019 ordinance, the township board has since directed staff to work on what a new ordinance allowing the establishments might look like, with the hope of receiving recommendations on where the businesses can be located by the end of the year.
Schmitt said township officials are looking for feedback specifically on the zoning ordinance during the public hearing, rather than the broader policy question of allowing the establishments.
“We were directed by the board to start this work,” he said. “So I think the question of whether or not we're allowing it is (in the) past, and now we're determining how to regulate it.”
Township staff are largely modeling the recreational zoning ordinance after the township’s existing medical marijuana zoning ordinance. It’s the “easy part” and the direction from the township board and planning commission was “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Schmitt said.
"It's largely just striking the word ‘medical’ because there was no real desire to expand location or anything like that,” he said.
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Regarding the licensing ordinance, which will be separate from the zoning ordinance, Schmitt said township attorneys are working on it.
He said he thinks the township will have the structure in place to allow recreational marijuana establishments to open next year, but whether they will depends on the industry.
“It's not like they're going to open tomorrow,” he said. “This is a lengthy process and we want to make sure we do it right the first time.”
Written comments may be sent prior to the Dec. 12 meeting at: Planning Commission, Charter Township of Meridian, 5151 Marsh Road, Okemos, MI, 48864, or by email to planningcommission@meridian.mi.us.
Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.