Residents urge council to revisit marijuana retail hours after confusion about ordinance readings

Several Eastpointe residents used the council’s public comment periods to press the council to reconsider the city’s recreational marijuana ordinance and closing hours, saying the final hours approved differed from what people had expected and that the change was not apparent on the agenda.

Jennifer Nicholas, an Eastpointe resident, reviewed prior public hearings and attorney statements about proposed business hours, saying attorneys for applicants had requested hours that would make Eastpointe competitive with neighboring municipalities. She described inconsistency between the first and second readings and said the council’s final action appeared to extend hours to midnight without a clear public-notice opportunity for comment: “My issue is that when you do first and second readings of the ordinance… I thought that part of the, ideally, it should give residents at least one opportunity to give feedback before you make a decision. But in this case, it's kinda like you did an end run, getting that midnight hours in there without having it printed on the agenda or having any discussion among residents.”

Mary Hall Raiford, another resident, told the council she opposed later closing times and argued the city should show restraint on extending business hours late into the night: “If you haven't gotten what you wanted by 10, you probably shouldn't need it,” she said during public comment.

Staff and council members did not change the ordinance during Tuesday’s meeting; several residents asked the council to place reconsideration on a future agenda. Council members acknowledged the written record that attorneys and applicants presented during prior hearings and said they would consider requests to revisit the hours at a future meeting.