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WARREN — A group is hoping to let voters decide the fate of Warren’s recently updated ordinance on marijuana dispensaries.
The group “Warren Citizens for Common Sense” filed a petition that netted 3,200 signatures to the city’s clerk, according to a press release from the group. The signatures would still need to be approved by the clerk’s office within 14 days of the submission in order for the proposal to make the Aug. 5 ballot. The signatures were submitted on April 29, which was the deadline for that election.
Joe Munem, who is representing the group, described it as a ballot initiative driven by “businesspeople and residents.”
In a press release from the group, its treasurer, Chris Shafou, said the initiative stands out from others around the state.
“While there have been multiple ballot questions around Michigan where voters were asked to approve recreational cannabis facilities in their community, we think this is the first petition drive to repeal an ordinance passed by a City Council,” Shafou said in a press release.
The ballot proposal would allow voters to consider changing the number of marijuana facilities in zoned areas from “unlimited” to “0,” according to Munem.
On March 25, the Warren City Council passed the ordinance changes with a 5-2 vote, with Councilmen Dave Dwyer and Henry Newnan voting against it.
Munem said that the drive to get signatures started right after the ordinance was changed by council.
The changing ordinance in March attempted to address accusations of favoritism by the Warren Medical Marihuana Review Committee. That led to a lawsuit by marijuana businesses against the city, filed as Pinebrook Warren, LLC et al. vs. City of Warren et al in 2019. The changed ordinance removed the committee’s ability to award licenses and vested it with the city’s building department and its Construction Board of Appeals.
While much of the group’s release describes marijuana shops being “unlimited” in the city, council members have pushed back on this characterization. The number of businesses allowed would not have a set number, but it would be restricted to pockets of Warren where they meet the proper zoning requirements.
Warren City Council Attorney Jeff Schroder previously explained that the businesses could only appear in industrial areas zoned as M-1, M-2, M-3 or M-4. Facilities also need to be 500 feet from a residential lot line, religious institutions, planned unit developments and parks or libraries. They also need to be 1,000 feet away from schools or playgrounds.
“If you’ve been told it’s unlimited, that it can go anywhere in your neighborhood, you were misinformed,” Schroder said at the March meeting. “But, in today’s climate, it’s not that surprising that something like that could happen.”
The presentation by the attorney did not dissuade the numerous residents who showed up to air their concerns about marijuana facilities at the meeting. Concerns ranged from the smell of a nearby facility to their impact on society. Prior to and after the meeting, Michigan Deserves Better, which is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, distributed fliers to Warren residents warning of the dangers of “unlimited” dispensaries.
“There is considerable opposition to unlimited pot shops in Warren,” Shafou said in the release. “We just want to give voters living here the right to decide on the future of this industry in Warren.”
