No rezoning for medical marijuana dispensary on South State after council vote
The Ann Arbor City Council voted 8-3 Monday night to deny a medical marijuana dispensary's request for a rezoning of property on South State Street.
The dispensary was zoned out of business at that location when the council passed a medical marijuana ordinance earlier this year regulating where dispensaries can be located.
Rather than move to a new location, Treecity owner Francis Clark, who has been represented by spokeswoman Dori Edwards at recent meetings, was asking for the 0.13-acre site to be rezoned from an office district to a local business district.
Both the city's planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended that the dispensary's request be denied because the proposed zoning wasn't consistent with the adjacent zoning, surrounding land uses or the city's master plan.
The site contains a 1,310-square-foot converted single-family home that's been used as a dispensary and a 583-square-foot detached garage that is rented out to a physician one day per week and used for member meetings one day per month.
There are nine gravel parking spaces on the site, and about 30 vehicles visit the site daily, according to Treecity, which opened last year.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
Athena Aegis
Fri, Dec 23, 2011 : 5:27 a.m.
And this is just another example of why Prohibition has failed. I'm not a patient or anything, but I'm just sick of hearing about this kind of moral deconstructionism instead of actual, needful development in the city. repealtoday.org has information on getting involved...get Prohibition Repeal on the Ballot and end this crap.
Ricebrnr
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
Anyone watching the PBS series on Prohibition??? So many parallel issues including morality and legislation... Those that do not learn from history...
treetowncartel
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 4:08 p.m.
Any body down at the site of "old faithful urinal building art as a display of waste of the constituents tax money" take a minute to read the Attorney General's opinion on dispensaries?
mi4198
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 2:30 p.m.
Nice that the city counsel decided not to have a "pot store" within walking distance of campus. Didn't the state government mandate that they not be within 1000 yards of an educational institution? Oh yeah, didn't the State Court of Appeals make them illegal?
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 1:56 p.m.
I don't see a photo credit on that map.
foobar417
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 1:13 p.m.
@AnnArbor.com Please include a link the a google map of the address if you are going to bother to include the address.
xmo
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 1:04 p.m.
Once again, City Council shows its Anti-Business side. Ruling against an existing business and forcing them to move or go out of business. Business Owners-Please remember this when you and your employees vote in November!
Laura J
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 12:55 p.m.
Not sure why Charlie Brown thinks that area is on the decline??? The Produce Station, Salvation Army, CVS and Kroger all bring decent people looking to buy what they need. How is this any different? Jaycee, the palm reader provides a service . People either choose to patronize her or not. Don't begrudge someone their business just because you don't like it. Medical marijuana dispensaries have their place. They fufill a need to people who medically need a drug. It is not any different than CVS. It's time to stop thinking that it is just a place to "pick up pot." Grow up.. Think about if someone in your family got cancer and needed marijuana for pain or during chemo...
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 2:45 p.m.
"It is not any different than CVS." of course it is. You and I both know that. If it wasn't, they would just sell at CVS.
Hmm
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 12:22 p.m.
Yes let's turn that area back into an empty vacated space, that is exactly what Ann Arbor needs right now
cinnabar7071
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 12:09 p.m.
Get ready for all the pot heads to tell us how we are keeping sick people from their medicine. If only somehow they could tie this in with starving kids.
sidwally
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
In the end sick people will get their medicine whether it's legal or not. But with this way we can keep filling prisons with innocent citizens.
Paul Taylor
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 1:54 p.m.
How about how this keeps pediatric cancer patients from their medicine? <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/montana-father-medical-marijuana-cancer-stricken-toddler-son/story?id=13529490" rel='nofollow'>http://abcnews.go.com/Health/montana-father-medical-marijuana-cancer-stricken-toddler-son/story?id=13529490</a>
zags
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 11:56 a.m.
1712 is actually the parcel directly south of the one shown shaded in the picture. Notice the unshaded detached garage.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 11:25 a.m.
That area of town is on the decline (palm reader, etc) and we don't need pot to help bring it down further. If we have to have pot stores, can't they be out East Michigan Ave or something?
a2cents
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 11:37 a.m.
State & Packard would be ideal... already a dump.