Saginaw is not included in a visit to potguide.com, which lists marijuana stores in a variety of Michigan cities and towns, large and small, following November 2018 statewide voter approval for legalization.
That will change this year. City Hall began accepting applicant paperwork in January, following a September 2020 ordinance adopted by the City Council.
The process can begin with the Planning Commission for site plan review and approval by contacting the Planning Division at City Hall and/or at the City Clerk’s Office by submitting the application for a Marihuana Establishment Facility License. The full review process winds through applicable municipal departments.
The total so far is 15 applications being considered, and none have received final approval. 11 are on the West Side, 4 on the East Side.
Saginaw leaders have taken a more cautious approach than those in most other cities. That’s why our hometown, so far, has remained absent from potguide.com. In contrast, Bay City features 16 shops that already are up and running.
Most of the stores, officially known as “marihuana establishments,” will locate in remodeled buildings that are the sizes of small offices. A few will build new, typically resembling a convenience store.
For consumers, purchasing a package won’t be quite as convenient as grabbing a six-pack of brew, or even a pint of booze. The count of marijuana dispensaries won’t come close to the number of convenience franchises, a.k.a. party stores, and at the big-box megastores, pot won’t be on display alongside the libations in Aisle Three. But exchanging cash for cannabis will become routine, just the same, usually within a few minutes of home.
The main difference is that locations will be more isolated than in regular small commerce zones, to fulfill an array of buffer zones that range from schools (minimum 1,000 feet) to churches (100 feet). Others distance regulations cover hospitals or similar marijuana shops (500 feet); parks, playgrounds and “transitional” halfway houses (250 feet).
So far, one proposed location to draw major objections has been within the retail intersection of Webber at Sheridan, well more than 1,000 feet from Saginaw High but still a gathering point for students, said parents and other protesters. The other was on Court Street between the Mason and Woodbridge one-ways.
In both cases, the Planning Commission approved the site plans, in accordance to the zoning ordinance, and issued special use permits, contingent upon the issuance of business licenses by the both the city and the state.
‘Yes’ and ‘no’ in Michigan
Our state is home to 533 local incorporated governing units, equally divided between cities and townships, with a few villages mixed in.
More than 400 have rejected any sort of cannabis commerce, and these often are more affluent and conservative locations. Local examples are Midland, Frankenmuth and Saginaw County’s western suburbs. In the Detroit area, opt-out exurbs include Grosse Pointe, Dearborn, Troy and Livonia.
The 100-plus communities that are open to business include Detroit and then virtually all of the medium-large towns, even Grand Rapids. Some smaller locales also have opted in. Mid-Michigan sites that may surprise readers include Chesaning and Alma and Beaverton, and in the Thumb area, Vassar and Caro.
People in opposition have stated religious and anti-drug reasons. Supporters of local options say marijuana users, similar to alcohol consumers, should not be denied their freedoms.
The two sides continue, but with legalization, applicants are governed solely by the rules in place. Reasons such as religious beliefs or anti-drug sentiment no longer are legal factors.
Supporters also point to economic gains that begin with 10 percent state excise taxes and $4,000 apiece from local application fees.
According to a state report, reefer revenue last year was $31 million. The sum, while impressive, amounts to a scant 0.05 percent of the $62 billion state budget. Most of the state’s gross from grass goes for top categories such as K-12 school aid and roads, $11.6 million apiece.
From fees paid to local communities, Bay City reaped $84,000. That’s about enough, for one example, to cover a single police officer’s pay, benefits, equipment and a patrol car. In other words, not a whole lot from pot.
Marijuana money is projected to increase during years to come, but it will remain a minor part of a scenario in which even the massive state lottery seems to make scant difference.
Rules and regulations in Saginaw
City administrators and staffers labored for more than a year, with regular updates to the City Council, to prepare for the potential onslaught of marihuana establishment license applicants.
They began with larger buffer zones, but then they reduced the distances to avoid blocking the entire city acreage as out of bounds. They have required so-called “special use permits” so that property owners within 300 feet receive notice of all applications. Security requirements when operations begin, both for the physical sites and for security personnel, are stricter than for other enterprises.
Application sites receiving Planning Commission approval through the end of February, still subject to city and state licensing, are:
- 3446 State St, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 700 Gratiot Ave, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 2030 N Mason St, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 110 S Mason St, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 2617 Bay St, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 1014 Gratiot Ave, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 2219 Webber St, Saginaw, MI 48601
- 3307 Davenport Ave, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 1321 Court St, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 2205 N Michigan Ave, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 2401 E Holland Ave, Saginaw, MI 48601
Pending proposals:
- 2301 N Michigan Ave, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 2348 S Michigan Ave, Saginaw, MI 48602
- 910 E Genesee Ave, Saginaw, MI 48607
- 1703 E Genesee Ave, Saginaw, MI 48601
The only proposal for growing, so far, is at 1705 Boxwood on abandoned property in small zone for manufacturing. Imagine making a right turn off of East Holland onto Boxwood and heading a quarter-mile beyond the old fire station site.
Community groups in other cities have aired concerns that according to a statewide report on approved sites, only 3.4 percent are African American-owned and 1.5 percent are Latino-owned. No major protest on the race disparity has taken place in Saginaw.
(The Michigan Banner wishes to thank Saginaw city staffers John Stemple, director of neighborhood services; Janet Santos, city clerk; Kris Bolzman, deputy clerk; and Robert Gollin, city planner for their contributions to this article. Also, Vicki Davis, executive marketing coordinator. All under the authorization of Tim Morales, city manager.)
