Marijuana establishments can now set up shop within Niles Charter Township limits

NILES CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- The Niles Charter Township board voted 5-1 Mon. evening to adopt a new zoning ordinance that will officially allow marijuana establishments to set up shop within township limits.

The township placed a referendum on the ballot to allow the dispensaries in Nov., which the public passed. Since then, the planning commission has worked on the new ordinance with the help of an attorney.

The zone will be within the General Business zoning district on South 11th St. between State Line Rd. and Fulkerson Rd., just ahead of the already existing dispensaries on South 11th St. in the City of Nile’s boundary, closer to the Indiana boarder than ever before.

“We’re the main road coming up from downtown South Bend and when you come into the City of Niles you find four dispensaries and a micro-business right within about a mile stretch of 11th street,” said Mike Noonan, the president of one of the existing shops, Southland Farms Organic Provisions.

Some of the rules for the new shops include that they can only be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., there will only be one secure transporter, and one safety compliance facility authorized, but there’s no limit on the number of marijuana retailers allowed to apply in the Township.

Some residents had several concerns about the ordinance, including what they described as an already over-saturated dispensary market. While business owners like Noonan said competition is a good thing for shops, the township, and taxpayers.

“Each local township, municipality, and then the county they’re in gets a flat fee per retail license that’s operational... So, it doesn’t really make any sense to artificially put a cap on it when the market’s going to decide how many of these stores can actually make it and the county and municipalities get a lot more for having more licenses… For the public, I think it’s good to have a lot of licenses because it’s going to attract the people and make it a destination. If there just one or two, we’re not making it a destination,” said Noonan.

The board said businesses can get their applications now, but they won’t be received or reviewed until the first working day of May.

To view the Marijuana Establishment Application once it is posted to the website under Township Forms, click here.