MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — The City of Muskegon Heights has granted 18 conditional marijuana licenses to 12 investors. By the end of 2021, pots shops could open for business to serve recreational customers.
The conditional marijuana licenses approved by the Muskegon Heights City Council are all attached to vacant buildings, and one vacant parcel.
The structures being targeted by investors are in need of a wide-range of renovations from broken windows to major roof repairs.
That means if investors want to turn a conditional license into an actual business, significant improvements will need to be made to the buildings.
"For us as a small community of 11,000 residents, this is an economic development engine," said Muskegon Heights City Manager Troy Bell. "Because we have got vacant buildings, we have vacant land."
Those interested in opening shops in the city will need to secure a state license next.
"We've had applicants say they think they can be up and running in three months," said Bell.
Last October the Muskegon Heights city council approved its marijuana ordinance allowing grow, processing, safety compliance, transport, retail and consumption businesses, along with microbusinesses where marijuana can be grown and sold.
In some cases, the state's cannabis industry is creating commerce where there was none. In Muskegon Heights, the shops would add new jobs and a new tax revenue stream that could be used to improve city services.
"From my perspective as a city manager I want those businesses to be thriving businesses, I want those businesses to succeed," said Bell.
The licenses are attached to properties scattered around the city including locations on Broadway Avenue, Peck Street and Sherman Boulevard.
Several provisioning centers are already open just outside Muskegon Heights in the city of Muskegon and Muskegon Township. Bell believes that may provide the investors interested in opening shops in Muskegon Heights a unique opportunity to study what's already being offered to customers and bring something new to the areas cannabis market.
"It may be the building, it may be the ambience, it may be the product itself," said Bell. "Here's a way for people to be creative in the way they distinguish themselves."
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