City Council adopts General Marijuana Ordinance, MJ Zoning

After a half hour of public hearings on April 3, the Belleville City Council unanimously adopted the General Marijuana Ordinance Amendment and the Marijuana Zoning Ordinance Amendment.
City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson said, in short, the first ordinance regulates how people get licenses and the zoning ordinance covers where they can be.
Mayor Kerreen Conley recounted how Belleville opted not to have marijuana in the community, but a group from out of state convinced city voters that the city would get lots of money by having marijuana dispensaries. In 2020 voters approved the group’s extensive ballot proposal and put it in the city charter, with 51% approval.
“The only thing we had control about was the zoning,” she said.
In 2022 there was another election and medical marijuana was included, but changes were made because of city efforts and while there were 26 licenses allowed in the original ordinance, way fewer licenses are allowed now.
“We were able to pull it out of our charter,” said City Manager Robinson. “I’m glad to have them out. That’s why the ordinances are before us now.”
Mayor Conley explained that all the licenses are in the same location on Savage Road and it is a monopoly.
Robinson said there were four retail store licenses and now two of those are being transferred to medical marijuana licenses.
Matthew McLean, who has been trying unsuccessfully to get a license for his business at 573 E. Huron River Dr., which is in B-3 zoning instead of the required Industrial zoning, spoke up again. He explained that when he was 17 he was “locked in a cage in this very building” when he was stopped by police while walking with weed in his pocket. That’s when it was illegal, he said. Now he wants to convert it into a business.
He was told he is in the wrong zoning and the city isn’t interested in moving marijuana dispensaries into zonings other than Industrial, where they can keep it away from schools and churches.
Mayor Pro Tem Ken Voigt said the city had to have a reasonable zoning or it would get sued. He said the same people came into the Village of Pinckney and the village fought it and lost at the Court of Appeals. It is estimated they had half million dollars in attorney fees, Voigt said.
“I would not move to B-3 without a vote of the people,” Voigt said.
McLean said he would look into getting a ballot initiative.
A resident of Victoria Commons, who objected to the Blue Sky dispensary near his home, asked if it was true they were getting a smoking lounge and he was told it was true, but it would be a while. Robinson said they have a consumption license, but the lounge would have to go before the planning commission and council before being approved.
Robinson said the lounge would not have an alcohol license, as rumored, since that is prohibited by state law.
Voigt said the city worked to get this problem in hand with the help of a special attorney on marijuana issues, the city manager’s efforts, and the planning commission.
“We are now mitigating the nightmare we were presented with in 2020,” Mayor Pro Tem Voigt said.
In other business at the April 3 regular meeting, the council:
• Listened to about 20 minutes of complaints and discussion on the very bad condition of the streets in Harbour Pointe subdivision. The council explained the procedures it is going through to fix the roads. Voigt said it is estimated to take from $6 million to $8 million to get the roads all done. The city has applied for grants unsuccessfully, he said. The streets are crumbling because of flyash that was mixed in the concrete during the 1990s. Victoria Commons residents said their streets are also in need of attention;
• Approved renewing the current Town Web Design city website contract, as recommended by city project manager Steve Jones with the addition of services that include online payments and reservations and special event applications and is compatible with the BS&A software used by the city. Jones said the 313 service allows people to take pictures of downed trees over sidewalks or other problems which then can be sent on to the proper department to handle it. City Manager Robinson said the old website was not bad, but city employees didn’t know how to use it. The new agreement has 24/7 website support at no additional charge. The three-year contract is $6,900 for the first year and then $5,683 for the following years. Mayor Conley asked Jones to call the references in other communities to check on Town Web;
• Approved an agreement with Wayne County for $2,672 in Parks Millage funding for Village Park improvements, that the city Downtown Development Authority had ordered. The DDA ordered two, six-foot Jordan Park Benches, and one 46-inch expanded metal square picnic table and a similar ADA picnic table, which totaled $2,739.85 before shipping. City Manager Robinson said the city would be responsible for the difference of $67.85, plus shipping which is estimated to be a total of $423.29;
• Approved the special-event application for the Bayou Rodeo After Party from noon June 10 to 2 a.m. June 11 at the Bayou and Fourth Street Square where a tent will be erected. This is for those who attend and participate in the annual Midwest Invitational Rodeo June 9 and 10 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds, and anyone else in the community who wants to come. Food and drinks will be paid for inside the Bayou, but will be served in BORA DORA [Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area] cups and to-go containers for food. The council approved extending the BORA DORA time until 2 a.m. because the rodeo doesn’t end until 10 or 11 p.m. Buses will take participants back to their hotels;
• Approved the special-event application for the May 4, 5, and 6 Veterans of Foreign Wars Buddy Poppy Sale, as a fund raiser for VFW 4434 and PLAV 167. They plan to be out at various intersections from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. for sales of poppies. The donations will be returned to worthy causes in the community and none of the funds may be used for Post expenses or aggrandizement; and
• Approved accounts payable in the amount of $40,879.13 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to Amazon, $2,728.98 for purchase of new computers for the fire department; and to MacQueen Emergency, $20,271.50 for five sets of turnout gear for the fire department.
Councilwoman Kelly Bates was absent from the meeting.