By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published October 29, 2025
CLAWSON — The Clawson Planning Commission unanimously approved a site plan application for 860 Badder Ave., off Rochester Road north of 14 Mile Road, for the applicant to use the vacant building for a primary caregiver cannabis facility.
The site plan application was previously discussed at the Aug. 12 Planning Commission meeting, but the decision to approve or disapprove was postponed due to the commission wanting more information.
According to the proposal packet, the existing development at 860 Badder Ave. is a two-story building that includes a front circle driveway and 13 parking spaces to the rear of the building.
The applicant is proposing to occupy the building as a primary caregiver cannabis facility, which is defined as a “facility where a ‘primary caregiver’ who is legally registered by the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency may lawfully assist up to five qualifying patients who are also legally registered by the department with the acquisition of medical mairjuana (cannabis) in accordance with the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act of 2008,” according to the proposal packet.
According to the site plan proposal, the Planning Commission is required to approve the odor control methods in compliance with the city’s zoning ordinance. Methods of odor control include but are not limited to activated carbon filters/scrubbers, internal exhaust fans, odor neutralizers and air purifiers.
“I was interested in the waste of materials. It sounds like no legitimate marijuana is going to be sitting out there in the dumpster. It’s going to be destroyed or wasted somehow or mixed,” said Gregory Kucera, chair of the Planning Commission.
Kucera said he is concerned about people diving in the dumpster to collect marijuana waste.
“For the waste, there are certain companies that come up and pick up the waste. So, it will be stored inside the facility,” John Samona, site plan applicant, said. “The dumpster won’t have any clippings or branches or leaves of any of that sort. The dumpster is for regular garbage.”
Evan Carpenter, Planning Commission member, asked how the process works in a facility like this.
“Do people come in and take care of the product themselves or does somebody else do that and they come and pick it up? What’s the transaction process?” he said.
Samona said that the caregiver grows the product for the patients and then the caregivers deliver the product to the patient.
“As far as the parking situation, there won’t be more than three, four cars there at any time, max. So it’s not open for retail, and you’re not going to have traffic people coming in and out. It’s just pretty much the caregivers,” Samona said.
Planning Commissioner Erin Redmond brought up the discussion of the smell that could come from the facility and what the applicant will have in place to prevent smells.
“The facility will have 5-foot carbon filters with fans that suck in the odor, and those will be placed throughout the building,” Samona said. “You actually only need like three or four, but we have purchased 12 just to have extras.”
The proposal was approved by the Planning Commission in a unanimous vote. Samona said they are hoping to have this development up and running by the end of the year.
For more information, visit www.cityofclawson.com.