GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids will not delay the acceptance of recreational marijuana business applications and won’t freeze the ongoing medical marijuana application process.

The 4-2 decision Tuesday evening, Feb. 25, by Grand Rapids city commissioners is a reversal of a vote they made at a committee meeting just 12 hours earlier to put a six-month moratorium on those applications.

City commissioners, however, failed to reach a consensus on what next steps to take on the proposed marijuana rules before them. The rules would allow recreational marijuana businesses in the city and tweak some existing medical marijuana regulations.

Read more: Grand Rapids delays recreational marijuana, suspends medical applications

It was not immediately clear what’s next for those proposed rules, which were unanimously approved by the planning commission and need to be in place for the city to begin accepting recreational marijuana applications on the target date of April 20.

The moratorium, proposed by Third Ward City Commissioner Senita Lenear, would have frozen the 14 medical marijuana facility applications currently awaiting planning commission approval. It would not change the status of the 24 medical marijuana facilities already approved.

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Lenear argued the city’s medical marijuana ordinance has not had the desired outcome of allowing local representation into the industry. She wanted a pause to restructure the existing medical marijuana ordinance and the proposed recreational and medical changes so they bring “equitable outcomes for people who live within the city” and “more local presence.”

Of the city’s 24 accepted medical marijuana applications, fewer than five have majority local ownership. “Several” have some percentage of local ownership, according to the city.

“There are (14) applications. How many of them will accomplish the equitable goal?” Lenear asked her colleagues. “We can’t use words and keep using buzzwords and think it’s cute when it’s convenient. This is one of those moments where we have to vote what we keep saying and stand for something.”

The moratorium measure passed the commission during a Tuesday morning committee meeting by a 5-2 vote, with only Commissioners Kurt Reppart and Jon O’Connor opposed. It then went to the commissioners at the night meeting for a final vote.

Commissioners Nathaniel Moody and Joseph Jones reversed their earlier votes for the moratorium, saying they would support a moratorium but only if the 14 business applications were processed. There was some concern that not processing those applications would lead to a lawsuit.

A vote on the moratorium with Moody and Jones’ stipulations failed, as did a vote to set a public hearing on the proposed marijuana rules. Besides Lenear, Commissioner Milinda Ysasi was the only other to vote again for the moratorium.

Mayor Rosalynn Bliss was not in attendance at the Tuesday night meeting.

O’Connor had strong words for Lenear, saying that without holding a hearing on the proposed rules, the commission was only listening to the voices of residents who showed up to voice their concerns without notification.

Those residents were largely pastors and members of the faith community from Grand Rapids’ Southeast Side who were opposed to the proposed allowance of marijuana businesses within 1,000 feet of churches.

“I find it a bit disingenuous, I find it quite disingenuous as a matter of fact, that we’re not allowing at least a public hearing to happen to understand the consequences both for and against recreational cannabis in our community,” he said. “And so the idea that we’re just going to put a moratorium in place without actually giving an opportunity for people to come here and address us with notice is reprehensible.”

Before Lenear’s proposal of a moratorium, the city commission was set Tuesday to establish a public hearing next month for the proposed marijuana rules.

Lenear argued that residents were heard and opposed the proposed rules during the public hearing that the planning commission held before they unanimously approved the proposed rules Feb. 13 and sent them to city commission.

The majority of people who spoke during public comment Tuesday evening were pastors and churchgoers opposed to the proposed rules and in favor of a moratorium. There were also some opposed to marijuana use in general.

Read more: Pastors urge Grand Rapids city leaders to continue waivers for marijuana shops near churches

Some others, like Marcel Price, supported a moratorium for the reworking of the city’s marijuana ordinance with the hope that doing so would result in more benefits and accountability to the neighborhoods the shops are located in.

“If we’re given the power from the city, or the ability from the city, to create a framework to hold these businesses accountable so they’re not coming in making empty promises, we could do some radical things that impact our neighborhoods for way longer than any of us are going to be there,” Price said. “So I hope you give us the ability to do so, because I’m somebody who is very pro cannabis but I’m also somebody who cares way more about black than I do green.”

Grand Rapids adopted its medical marijuana ordinance in July 2018. It set the order to accept its first applications in April 2019 and the city’s first medical marijuana shop opened its doors on Feb. 7, 2020.

Of the 24 medical marijuana applications approved, only one facility has opened so far.

Two employees of that business, Fluresh Provisioning Center, spoke out Tuesday against the moratorium, saying it would hurt their business and local employment.

Jacob Fein of Fluresh said the company had planned to invest $30 million by 2021 in their provisioning center and headquarters at the 1213 Phillips Ave. location. That location would also serve as a future growing operation. He said investments might have to go to their Adrian growing location if the moratorium was passed.

“We expect that our Grand Rapids cultivation facility would employ over 100 people and planned on accepting resumes shortly,” Fein said. “At this point, our head count number will be far less than planned if we’re restricted to medical only licenses."

Denavvia Mojet, corporate impact strategist with Fluresh, said the city has known for a while that social equity has been an issue.

“The city of Grand Rapids knew we needed equity we didn’t just realize we had a problem today," Mojet said. "I’m just super frustrated because we know that equity is important and the city staff dragged their feet on it, and now we have an entire industry of people who are questioning whether or not Grand Rapids is the market for them, because we’re stalling on their ability to make a profit and that’s not what we wanted.”

Read more:

‘It’s about time:’ Patients can get medical marijuana from facility in Grand Rapids

First medical marijuana shop opens its doors in Grand Rapids

‘We’ve been waiting our whole lives for this:' Recreational pot shop opens in West Michigan