NILES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WNDU) – The Niles Township Planning Commission voted to approve a zoning ordinance for marijuana retailers months after residents voted to ban the businesses outright.
Planning commission members casted their votes at a public meeting on Wednesday, September 2.
Backed by 275 signatures, the proposal would allow up to four marijuana retailers to operate in the township — but Wednesday’s meeting wasn’t about that vote.
Instead, it was about where those shops could go if voters said “yes.”
Under the ordinance, marijuana shops could not open in agricultural, residential, office or industrial zones. They would also be kept at least 1,000 feet from schools and parks.
At the meeting, the board voted to add that the shops must be at least 1,000 feet away from churches. Marijuana retailers would also only be allowed in general business districts, not local business and highway business districts.
RELATED: Niles Township marijuana retail debate returns for November ballot
“We’ve got to do something for the community, and I don’t think marijuana’s it,” one meeting attendee said.
Not everyone at the meeting was opposed to the ordinance.
“What do we see now? We see poverty. It’s poor,” said another person at the public hearing. “There’s people staying in these buildings. There’s nothing there. … Don’t think of yourselves. Look down the road.”
Despite the divide, the planning commission voted to move forward.
“We felt that having an ordinance in place was necessary to help control those facilities, if they are allowed in the township by the voters,” said Joe Belliana, planning commission board chair.
In November, residents will decide again whether marijuana retailers can operate in the township at all.
If they say “yes,” Wednesday’s rules would decide how and where.
Next, the ordinance will go to the Berrien County Planning Commission for approval. After that, it would be sent to the Niles Township Board of Trustees.
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