HARPER WOODS, Mich. – How and where marijuana businesses can fit into the city of Harper Woods has been an ongoing struggle.
Last year, the city council was considering doing away with a 1,500-foot buffer between pot shops, which neighbors viewed as allowing a free-for-all for cannabis businesses to move into the city.
There was so much pushback from neighbors that the council backed down. The city has been working on a pot plan ever since.
It opted to give out three licenses and do it on a first-come, first-served basis. That has worked in other communities. It manifested in a mad dash to the door and many unhappy people in Harper Woods.
One of those not granted a license, Altum LLC, is now suing Harper Woods and asking for a restraining order to shut down the process. There was supposed to be a planning commission meeting to deal with the pot licensing issue on Wednesday (Feb. 28), but it got canceled because of the lawsuit.
Neighbors opposed to the process and the placement of these stores had planned to show up at the meeting.
“What’s not acceptable is there was a total lack of transparency from the beginning and a complete lack of communication for what their plans were and a total disregard for what residents feel,” Kristin Olin-Sullivan says. Olin-Sullivan told us she’s not surprised one of the marijuana businesses opted to file suit.
Whether it results in a fresh start is not yet clear. There will be a hearing on Mar. 14.
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