Niles Township has received applications from nine marijuana businesses who want to set up shop, and they still expect to receive a couple more. The township board has 60 days to approve or deny them.
Niles Township covers a mile-and-a-half stretch of M-51, or 11th Street, north from the Indiana-Michigan border. Township Supervisor Marge Durm-Hiatt says two township employees are reviewing the nine applications.
"We do background checks on them," Durm-Hiatt said. "I mean, they have to have information about insurance, on ventilation, the checklist is very extensive."
Once the applications are reviewed to make sure they aren’t missing any documents required by state law, they’ll be sent to the township’s elected board for a vote.
Marijuana businesses have been operating up and down the stretch of highway since Michigan legalized recreational weed in 2018. But in the Niles area, these new stores will be the closest to Indiana, where weed remains illegal.
"It's like what happened in New Buffalo, but Coldwater, which is on the state line, they have dispensaries. I don't think it was a huge uptick but I'm sure they're busier than Cassopolis. Since we're close to South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, our numbers are there, so I would assume that they're going to be busy."
Once the board votes to grant the businesses licenses, township planning and zoning officials must approve their plans. Durm-Hiatt says the need to complete that process means these stores likely won’t open until late this year.
