Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A group is currently pushing for the City of Howell to take steps to allow marijuana-related facilities or face a potential ballot question in the November 2024 election to be decided by voters.

In 2018, Michigan became the first midwestern state to allow both medical and adult-use marijuana use.

Since then the City, along with most other local municipalities, elected to “opt-out” of allowing such facilities. It has since received correspondence from an attorney about adopting an ordinance for recreational marijuana, and a proposed ballot initiative.

The correspondence was briefly discussed during Monday night’s Council meeting and no action was taken. It came from Ypsilanti Attorney Anderson Grandstaff and states he has been retained as corporate counsel for an organization that’s planning to circulate petitions in support of a ballot initiative in the City.

The letter states that if approved by a majority of the electors of the City, the proposed ballot initiative would end Howell’s prohibition on recreational/adult-use marihuana retail businesses and establish a regulatory framework for the licensure of those businesses. The ordinance would also establish procedures and guidelines for employees of the City to follow when reviewing, scoring, and ranking applications submitted by entities who are interested in obtaining adult-use marihuana retail licenses.

The letter goes on to state “My client has connected with many of your constituents and believes that there would be strong grassroots support for the passage of the attached ballot initiative. Although my client is willing and prepared to begin circulating petitions and gathering signatures in support of this important ballot initiative, it would prefer to avoid any appearance of an adversarial relationship with the City Council of Howell. I am therefore writing you, in the spirit of cooperation, to ask whether the City Council of Howell is willing to consider adopting the substance of the attached ballot initiative (or a substantially similar version thereof) on its own accord as a municipal ordinance. My client has also expressed that it is willing to negotiate amendments to the proposed ballot initiative with the City Council of Howell if that body believes that such amendments would better align the substance of the proposed ballot initiative with your local interests and concerns. However, my client has also asked me to express that it is strongly committed to the substance of the proposed ballot initiative and that it believes there would already be strong electoral support for the attached version of that initiative. Therefore, please be advised that, if we do not receive a response to this communication, or if the City Council of Howell declines to negotiate with us in good faith regarding amendments to the proposed ballot initiative, then my client will simply continue its preparations to begin circulating petitions in support of the proposed ballot initiative”.

Grandstaff provided a draft copy of his client’s proposed ballot initiative for review, which can be viewed in Monday’s Council meeting packet along with his full letter. A link is provided.

Grandstaff did not specifically name his client in the letter.

However, a community survey is currently circulating that seeks input on the prospect of allowing marijuana retailers in the City. The bottom of that publication lists “Liberty Petition Projects LLC, 1408 Andrew St SE, Kentwood, MI 49508”.

The survey requires no return postage if mailed in the United States, and is addressed to “Community Survey P.O. Box 125 Alto, MI 49302”.

The survey consists of ten questions including the number of marijuana retailers that should be allowed and how the City should use additional tax revenue generated by marijuana retailers. It also asks if respondents would be willing to participate in the process of placing a ballot question before voters in the November 2024 election.

City Manager Erv Suida told WHMI they received the letter and a sample ordinance from an Ypsilanti attorney and he shared it so that Council was aware – noting the attorney stated if the City did not consider an ordinance, a ballot proposal was possible.

Suida stressed that the survey is not a City survey. He said they obviously want to know what residents want and what their thoughts are but noted they have not had a very strong movement from at least their City residents to move forward with permitting marijuana. Suida said it’s something they’ll take under advisement, adding the City has looked at ordinances and talked about it for the past several years. Suida said they know it’s out there but at this point, think “they’re still comfortable where they’re at”.

The only Livingston County municipality that currently allows marijuana facilities is the Village of Pinckney, which was faced with a similar situation. A group forced the issue onto the ballot, which was approved by voters. However, the project that was eventually approved known as “The Means” in the old Pinckney Elementary School appears to have stalled.

Another project has since sprouted being petitioned by Marco Lytwyn with Pinckney Developments. Lytwyn is seeking a Class A Microbusiness license for a marijuana facility called “Essence” to be located at 1268 East M-36, on a vacant lot between Wendy’s and Taco Bell.