Press Release | Office of the Mayor | Westland Adopts Marijuana Business Application Policy; Begins Accepting Applications on June 1

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

Westland Adopts Marijuana Business Application Policy; Begins Accepting Applications on June 1

Westland, MI (May 26, 2020) - On Monday, May 19, the Westland City Council voted to approve the City of Westland's marijuana business application consideration policy and corresponding application and selection criteria.

The policy, which was written in compliance with the Westland Uniform Marijuana Business Ordinance passed by City Council in November, sets the window for applications from June 1, 2020 through July 16, 2020. Complete applications must be submitted within this time frame along with a $5,000 fee in order to be considered. The policy also lays out the way in which applications will be processed and scored.

Applications will be sorted by license type:

Collocated Businesses (3 licenses available)

Marijuana Micro Businesses (1 license available)

Safety and Compliance Facilities (further sorted by proposed zoning district, 1 license available)

Secure Transporters (1 license available)

Retail/Provisioning Centers (further sorted in relation to Ford Road, 2 licenses available - one north of Ford Road, one south of Ford Road)

*all licenses are subject to Special Land Use approval and will require final approval by City Council

Once sorted, applications will be reviewed and scored by a selection committee comprised of three city administrative employees. The selection committee will assign point values based on the scoring rubric included with the policy. Ties within the applicant groups will be ranked based on financial investment and community benefit and investment. Any applicants that remain tied after the prioritization of these criteria will be placed in a blind lottery draw to determine ranking.

Once scoring is complete, the applicants will be notified of their ranking and list will be provided to the Westland City Council. Each applicant will have the right to appeal their score within 10 days if notice with the Marijuana Business Review Board. After hearing all appeals, the board will issue a written recommendationthat either upholds the list or modifies the list which will be placed on the agenda for City Council review and approval.

"I appreciate the hard everyone has put into this over the past 10 months," commented Mayor Wild. "Both my administrative team and the City Council acknowledged the importance of maximizing the economic benefit of this decision and our final policy product reflects that commitment."

All of the information on Westland's marijuana ordinance and policy can be found on www.cityofwestland.com

For more information, please call (734) 467-3200

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Westland Fire Department are licensed paramedics who responded to over 9,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds of shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, one of the country's original four regional malls.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.