Pontiac amends adult‑use marijuana lighting rules to allow LEDs but ban rope/string lighting on facades

The Pontiac Planning Commission on Jan. 8 approved a zoning text amendment that permits LED lighting for adult‑use marijuana businesses while expressly prohibiting LED rope and string lighting on building façades and windows.

Staff said the change corrects an ambiguity in the city’s adult‑use marijuana provisions. Mark Yendrick, the city planning manager, told commissioners that the city clerk’s office is already accepting licensing applications and that municipal code language should be updated to reflect common industry practice (allowing energy‑efficient LED fixtures) while preserving the ordinance’s likely original intent to prohibit attention‑grabbing facade lighting.

The amendment adds a line to relevant adult‑use land‑use sections stating that “LED rope and string lighting on the facade of the building and surrounding windows shall be prohibited,” while allowing LED fixtures consistent with typical exterior lighting standards. The city attorney and outside counsel reviewed the language to ensure it does not affect pending license applications.

A brief public hearing drew a supportive comment from a resident who said the ban on flashy exterior string lights was appropriate. The commission approved the amendment and the item will go to City Council for first reading on Jan. 21.

Why it matters: the amendment aims to reconcile local appearance standards and public-safety expectations with modern lighting practices and to avoid unregulated decorative lighting that could attract unwanted attention or create neighborhood impacts. The ordinance change applies to multiple adult‑use land‑use categories (retail, consumption lounges, grow operations) and will be part of the formal zoning rules used to evaluate site plans and licenses.