CHARLEVOIX BOARDS TO MULL MEDICAL MARIJUANA MANAGEMENT

Four City, Township Boards Will Meet Aug. 22 to Discuss Zoning
Regulations

Four Charlevoix-area governmental bodies have scheduled a combined
meeting for later this month to discuss how they will regulate medical
marijuana businesses in their respective jurisdictions.

The Charlevoix City Council, Charlevoix Planning Commission,
Charlevoix Township Board of Trustees and the Charlevoix Township
Planning Commission have scheduled a combined meeting for 7 p.m. on
Monday, Aug. 22, at the Charlevoix City Council chambers at city hall.

In a memo about the meeting to the city planning commission, city
planning director Mike Spencer wrote, "The purpose of the meeting will
be to discuss the new Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, and options
local governments have concerning regulation of this use. The (city's)
moratorium on medical marijuana is set to expire in October. We felt a
joint meeting would be best to educate our boards and elected
officials and seek input in a public setting prior to staff drafting
any regulations."

In April the city council voted to extend a moratorium on medical
marijuana businesses in the city for another six months to allow city
leaders more time to draft regulating ordinances.

Charlevoix Township is also in the midst of a similar
moratorium.

Spencer noted that because of the way the city and township are
situated, it makes sense for officials to look at the issue together
and look for ways to make their ordinances complementary to each other.

At the time the city council extended the moratorium, Spencer said
city officials had met with county and Charlevoix Township leaders,
the city's legal counsel and other cities dealing with the same issues
around the state. He said he is also working with the county's
geological information systems department to generate maps that
include buffer zones around schools and churches.

Spencer explained that much like sexually-oriented businesses,
Michigan law does not allow municipalities to completely ban a legal
property use from all locations within its borders and therefore the
city needs to come up with the best locations for such businesses.

Spencer said previously he has fielded some calls from people
inquiring about starting a medical marijuana business in the city.