(WXYZ) — Taylor is the latest city in metro Detroit that will allow recreational marijuana sales. The city council voted to approve a plan that would allow shops within city limits.
Voters approved the measure during the general election in 2022, and the council voted 5-2 to approve two ordinances. The primary concern was zoning.
As of right now, the current zoning ordinance would allow 3-5 marijuana shops with recreational sales to open within industrial parts of Taylor.
There was pushback on the vote.
"I ask the council not to approve this ordinance until this 2,500-foot definition is carried over from the medical marijuana and other city documents defining distance," one person said.
Others were in favor of it.
"Everyone is talking about 2,500 feet. I have three bars that are in the corner on a street that is a block away from an elementary school. So if you're going to start nitpicking about 2,500 feet, then you better start looking at the bars," another said.
The 2,500-foot rule comes from a measure that voters approved last November saying the shops could be no closer than 2,500 feet from schools or churches.
The freeway would act as a natural divider. For example, a recreational marijuana shop could be on one sie and a residential neighborhood is on the other. That would be OK if the shop is less than 2,500 feet away.
"The city of Taylor seems to stand the test of time and seems to still be a family-friendly community. Selling pot stores will only benefit the pot sellers and the pot consumers," one person said.
Roughly 13,511 people voted yes on the measure and 7,600 people voted no on the issue.
The city is accepting applications starting Oct. 1.
