Pontiac City Council has approved the rezoning of a parcel off Walton Boulevard which the developer intends to turn into a medical marijuana grow and processing facility.

The .9-acre vacant site is located between Richard Avenue and Walton Boulevard with access to West New York Avenue. It’s been rezoned from residential to M-1 Light Manufacturing with a conditional rezoning to allow for the medical marijuana business. The applicant, listed as Ryan Fried of Flourish Michigan Grow, is still required to obtain permits from the city and state for medical marijuana facilities.

A special exemption permit from the city’s planning commission will also be required as the parcel falls outside of Pontiac’s three approved medical marijuana overlay districts on Walton Boulevard, Cesar Chavez and inside the Woodward Avenue loop downtown. The initial rezoning resolution passed city council unanimously.

Pontiac City Council also chose to unanimously deny a rezoning for another proposed medical marijuana business on Telegraph Road last week. Fraser-based Get Your Greens LLC submitted an application to rezone 645 Telegraph Road from commercial to M-1 Light Manufacturing in hopes of building a medical marijuana grow, processing and provisioning center as well as a cell phone warehouse.

The planning commission recommended that council deny the rezoning request due to the property’s location. The site and surrounding area are earmarked in the city’s Master Plan for office, hospital and health care future land use to “create a health care hub in Pontiac providing both community health care and job training for health care workers.”

In 2018, an ordinance to allow an unlimited number of growers, processors, secure transporters and other medical marijuana support facilities passed by one vote in Pontiac. That ordinance also allowed for the zoning of 20 medical marijuana provisioning centers. Roughly 107 medical marijuana provisioning center applications have been submitted with that review process expected to begin this fall.