Only a few more steps have to be completed before the first marijuana facility is approved in Hartford.
City Manager Yemi Akinwale told the Hartford City Commission on Monday night that an application has been received for a provisioning center, or dispensary, where marijuana and marijuana-infused products could be sold.
“The building inspector, the police chief and the fire chief have all gone through the application and inspected the building,” he said.
Police Chief Tressa Beltran said the process wasn’t bad from her end, and now she’s just waiting on answers from the applicants on a few things.
“Once their comments on the application are done it will go to the Hartford Planning Commission for review, then the attorney’s office, then it comes to you folks,” Akinwale said.
If the City Commission approves it, the application will go to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for a state license.
The city’s marijuana ordinance, approved in November, allows one type of each facility in the city. The secure transporters, growing, processing and testing facilities have to be in industrial areas. Provisioning centers are the only ones allowed in commercial districts.
Akinwale said the one being considered would be in the building two doors over from City Hall at 11 W. Main St. It meets the requirements of being 500 feet away from churches and 1,000 feet from schools, with it being 570 feet away from the nearest church.
This dispensary would be the lone dispensary in the city, if everything goes through, Akinwale said.
“We received several inquires, but it was the only application submitted,” he said. “Based on the information we have and their financial records, this looks like a good application. It met all of the financial baselines we require, and we got a letter of commitment from their bank. If it goes through, they’re ready to go.”
