4 applications in 2 days

By James Hanlon
Leader Staff Writer
Oxford Village’s adult use marijuana facilities zoning ordinance went into effect Aug. 2. By the afternoon of Aug. 4, the village had already received four applications from potential business owners, Village Manager Joe Madore said.
The applications are still under review. Madore said there had not been enough time to review all the applications to make sure each applicant’s documentation was in order.
Per the ordinance, in order to obtain a license from the village, businesses must submit an application form, a letter from the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency granting preliminary state license approval, a site plan, use statement, hours of operation, liability release and insurance documentation, notarized acknowledgement of operational requirements, and plans for odor control, waste water control, security and lighting.
If the applicant does not own the property, they must also include a signed and notarized statement granting permission from the property owner.
The new ordinance, adopted in a 3-2 vote on June 8, allows recreational marijuana facilities (besides large-scale growers) to operate in in the village’s I-1 Industrial zoning district.
The village’s engineering firm, Rowe Professional Services, conducted a review of a protest petition submitted just before the June meeting that would have required a 2/3 majority vote for the ordinance to pass. Rowe calculated the land area within the 100-foot buffer around the parcels subject to the proposed change in the zoning ordinance and determined the petition fell short of the required owners of 20 percent of the land.