Note: The March meeting of the Planning Commission has been cancelled. It appears the public hearing on the marijuana ordinance will occur in April instead.
The Lowell Planning Commission had two items on the agenda for its February meeting: a proposed amendment to the city’s marijuana ordinance and a rezoning request for 115 Riverside Drive. Commissioner Dave Cadwallader was the only absence for the session which ran for approximately 40 minutes.
Revisiting the Marijuana Ordinance
When the city’s marijuana ordinance was originally enacted, the Lowell Methodist Church ran a preschool which effectively eliminated the possibility of marijuana businesses being established east of the Flat River. That’s because the ordinance requires a 1,000-foot buffer between a school or childcare facility and a marijuana establishment. However, the preschool has since closed.
Last year, the planning commission made a recommendation to Lowell City Council that the ordinance be amended to prohibit marijuana businesses east of the Flat River. Councilmembers declined to vote on the recommendation since someone was in the process of applying for a marijuana license for the property that most recently housed the RollAway Fun Center. That application was denied, and the building is up for sale again.
At their last meeting, planning commissioners discussed whether now was the time to revisit their ordinance recommendation. It was requested that Lowell City Council be asked if it would like the commission to review the matter again. At their meeting, councilmembers agreed that the commission should review the ordinance but not only regarding the establishment of businesses on the east side of town but also whether anything should be changed as to where they are located on the west end of the city.
During the Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner Amanda Schrauben asked if the commission should consider the placement of marijuana businesses in strip malls, noting that River City Cannabis was recently issued a citation for odor.
Commissioner Marty Chambers replied that the odor issue was resolved and “now we know what to do” but did not provide more specifics.
Andy Moore, a planning consultant to the city from the firm Williams & Works, also provided commissioners with copies of marijuana ordinances from Ionia, Cedar Springs and Niles. He noted that Chambers had expressed an interest in reviewed how the city’s ordinance compared to others.
The three ordinances were similar to Lowell’s with the exception that they placed limits on how many of each type of establishment could be approved, according to Moore. Schrauben asked whether any lawsuits had been filed against the cities as a result of those limits. Moore said he was not aware of any legal action in these municipalities.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously to hold a public hearing at their March meeting to gather public input regarding what, if any, amendment should be made to the city’s marijuana ordinance.
Rezoning Recommended for Riverside Property
The second item on the agenda was a rezoning request for 115 Riverside Dr. This property previously housed a line shack for Lowell Light & Power and is under a purchase agreement with a developer who plans to build residential and retail space on the property.
Currently zoned Public Facilities, the property will need to be rezoned to allow for its redevelopment. Moore said C-2 Central Business District makes the most sense based on its location and use.
The Lowell Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request, but a final vote on the matter will be taken during the next Lowell City Council meeting.
Commissioner Remarks: Dredging the Flat River
During commissioner comments, Commissioner Tony Ellis asked Chambers if the council had talked to the state about dredging the Flat River. Ellis has mentioned this request several times during meetings, but it does not appear to have ever been brought up at a Lowell City Council meeting.
Chambers suggested Ellis attend the next council meeting and share his concern during the public comments portion of the meeting. “If you disturb the water nowadays, EGLE will become unglued,” Chambers said. EGLE refers to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
The meeting adjourned at 7:41pm, and the next meeting of the Lowell Planning Commission will take place on Monday, March 14, at 7pm.
Thanks Maryalene ! Just wondering if it had anything to do with that bridges idea someone was floating. I hope they keep the public aware of these things! Appreciate all you do!
Is there any more detail about the ‘dredging the Flat River’ idea? Is Commissioner Ellis advocating for this, and if so, for what purpose? Is there a proposal being set forth that we could review? THank you for any additional information.
There has been discussion in previous meetings about doing a clean-up in the Flat River to remove trash and debris and temporarily lowering the level of the river in order to do so. However, that would apparently need to be approved by the state. There is no formal proposal as far as we know, but rather, it’s something that has been discussed informally in Planning Commission meetings.