Southfield City Council approves third marijuana retail site

SOUTHFIELD — In a 5-2 vote, the City Council approved a third recreational marijuana retail facility in Southfield April 15.

Councilman Daniel Brightwell, supported by Councilman Lloyd Crews, made the motion to approve Cloud Opportunity’s special use request and site plan to build and operate a one-story recreational marijuana retailer on 1 acre at 28610 Northwestern Highway. Councilmembers Charles Hicks and Nancy Banks voted no.

“I am not in favor of recreational marijuana, and I have voted no on all the previous recreational marijuana facilities in the city,” Banks said.

The two other recreational marijuana retailers in Southfield are Lume Cannabis, at 26760 Lahser Road, and Dreams Canna, at 28930 Telegraph Road. There is also a grow facility, NTK Investments, at 21680 W. Eight Mile Road.

During the public hearing, residents raised concerns about the smell of the facility, the number of recreational marijuana sites in the city and the possibility of limiting the sites.

Thomas Paison, the deputy city planner, explained that finding a location within the required 500-foot setback buffer for residential districts, residential use, drug-free school zones, adult-regulated uses (sexually oriented businesses), schools, religious institutions, child care facilities and parks, and the 1,500-foot setback buffer for medical marijuana provisioning centers and marijuana retailers has proven to be a challenge.

“We did note into the licensing ordinance, there’s a cap of five retailers,” Paison said. “This would be the third. But given the separation requirements that we have in the ordinance zoning, it’s very hard to find these sites and get them straightened out. I’ve had many inquiries that almost all of them are within 500-foot residential or residential zoning, and that’s just a no-go.”

Southfield resident Lewis Williams spoke to the council about the matter.

“I urge the City Council to vote no on this proposal. I say that we have too many recreational marijuana businesses operating in our city already. I urge that we put a moratorium on any more recreational marijuana businesses in our city. Our young people and our adult citizens don’t need to be confronted with these businesses on a continuing basis. If people want marijuana, there’s plenty of places for them to get it. Let them go somewhere else. In the past, we called ourselves the ‘all-American city,’ the ‘family city.’ And that’s fine. I’m very pleased with Southfield as a city, but we don’t want to be known as the ‘marijuana city.’”

Southfield resident Pamela Gerald said she was in support of the other two locations and would be in favor of this location if the owner could address concerns such as the smell, signage and crime prevention.

“One thing about it, our youth, from junior high on up, you’re not going to stop them from using marijuana. You’re not going to be able to keep them from getting it. Because before all of this came about, kids somehow or another got a hold of marijuana. So the fact that it’s legal, there are some state safeguards on it. If you want to do it, at least be safe about it.”

The site will be equipped with 27 security cameras inside and outside, and security guards on-site to escort the rotating 25 employees in and out and patrol the business after hours. The original proposal stated that the hours of operation would be 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Sundays; however, due to a city ordinance in place, the location would not be able to operate past 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

John McLeod, the owner of Cloud Opportunity, which currently owns and operates two other locations under the name Bloomery, stated, “Why Southfield? And I say, ‘Why not Southfield?’ It’s the ‘Center of it All.’ It’s a great community. Great access to freeways, great access to an employee base, lots of good public services. So that’s why Southfield.”

McLeod addressed concerns regarding the smell.

“There are some state standards that we’re held to, and there’s some local standards that we’re held to, but charcoal filtration is like a gating item, bare minimum. And that takes care of the smell, so there will be no marijuana smell that will be omitted from the facility.”

McLeod explained that under the former brand that he recently sold, Cloud Cannabis, there were 15 locations, with one in Detroit, where he lives. His new brand, Bloomery, has locations in Mount Clemens and New Buffalo.

“I will add that for all of these establishments, even prior to the city approving the ordinance change to allow for recreational marijuana, the city administrator and I actually went to tour one of the facilities, and the security is extremely tight,” Council President Michael “Ari” Mandelbaum said. “There’s cameras everywhere that feed directly into the Police Department. They do take everything very seriously. Pretty much if you’re not even 21, they won’t allow you in the building. And they do have armed security guards as well, inside and outside the parking lots to help with the security.”

To learn more about Bloomery, visit bloomerycannabis.com.