HARTFORD — Another medical marijuana facility is in the works for Hartford.
City Manager Yemi Ankinwale told the City Commission Monday night that the city received an application last week for a medical marijuana grow facility at the Hartford Speedway.
The racetrack, along Bowie Street, has been for sale since October 2017.
Ankinwale said several greenhouses would be built, and fenced in, on the 42 acres of land.
The city’s fire and police chiefs and building inspector will vet the application before it is sent to the city’s Planning Commission for review. Then the city’s attorney will look it over and it will come to the City Commission for consideration.
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 for one type of each facility in the city. Ankinwale said the speedway is zoned industrial, which grow operations have to be in.
The city has been considering a medical marijuana dispensary since January. The first application submitted by Med+Leaf was not approved by the City Commission because it was too close to a church.
Ankinwale said Monday night the final piece of the new application was received Friday and it is being reviewed by the city’s attorney. He said the attorney was asked to review it so the City Commission can consider it at next Monday’s business meeting.
In other business, taxpayers in Hartford will see a very small increase to their property taxes for 2018.
The City Commission approved an increase of 0.2186 mills to its operating millage Monday night, bringing the amount collected back up to the maximum allowed by the Headlee Amendment.
The 1.42 percent tax increase will raise $7,543 next year.
Ankinwale said the city would lose about $5,000 across its millages if the increase were not approved.
Also, Ankinwale said the owners of the Dollar General store that was set on fire last month plan to rebuild. He does not have a time-frame for construction yet. No one has been arrested for the crime.
Credit: www.heraldpalladium.com