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CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified the type of request Popeye’s was approved for. Wednesday, Popeye’s had its site plan approved by the planning commission. We regret the error and are happy to correct it. 

NILES — Those entering the Niles Fire Department for the Niles Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday evening were greeted with a pump of hand sanitizer, freshly wiped down seats and tables in a circle bordering the perimeter of the large room.

Each member of the planning commission sat at their own table in the circle, creating space of about six feet between them to work with the precautions handed down by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in wake of the COVID-19 virus’ spread. Planning commission member John DiCostanzo wore a mask to the meeting as a precaution due to his recent travels. DiCostanzo reassured the commission that he was feeling fine, and that it was just a precautionary measure.

On the docket for the meeting were a site plan for a new Popeye’s restaurant, and special land use requests from Rosenberg Holdings, LLC, a medical marijuana processing facility; Primative, owned by Weinberg Family Enterprises, a medical marijuana provisioning center; and Green Stem, a marijuana retail establishment.

A new Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen had its site plan approved with the provision to add a vegetation buffer to its property. The new Popeye’s will inhabit the space at 306 S. 11th St. Longtime Niles residents may know this space as a former Chinese restaurant.

Green Stem’s special land use request drew the most discussion. The business is already licensed to distribute medical cannabis, and requested to further apply for their adult use recreational license. Owners of the business, Denise and George Lynch, were in attendance to speak about their business taking a hit recently with the threat of the coronavirus tightening precautions and limiting business.

“Right now, we have seen a complete collapse of traffic at our facility from last Wednesday to Tuesday. We have seen almost double the loss of people coming in,” George Lynch told the commission. “We have instituted curbside check-in and ordering, as the state is allowing. As of Friday, we will be doing home delivery and online ordering. What we’re thinking about doing, if you grant this, for the first month at least or until this crisis hits a peak and starts to move down, is doing online ordering only for adult use. That should cut down on the traffic and cut down on the craziness going on.”

He also said Green Stem was not planning to host a grand opening or a 420 celebration in April if granted the ability to move forward with applying for the adult-use license.

“We would appreciate if you would approve us because I don’t think we’re going to survive under medical only,” he said.

A neighbor located nearby to the Green Stem location on 1140 S. 11th St., Rory Kapyuk, brought concerns to the commission’s attention of the area.

“You’re going to put more stress on my street and that neighborhood. We don’t need that,” Kapyuk said. He went on to cite concerns surrounding an unfinished road that has become overly traveled, traffic speed concerns and trash in the surrounding area.

The commission addressed the concerns, with City Administrator Ric Huff offering some clarification on the road Kapyuk was most concerned about.

“It’s actually not a dead-end street. It’s a deeded roadway to connect Ninth Street to 11th Street. It’s obviously never been completed, and it’s only about half paved. People have created their own tracks back there. I have spoken with Green Stem about the issues, and should there continue to be issues, they have agreed to help the city complete improving the space,” Huff said.

After further discussion, city council member John DiCostanzo offered his interpretation as being that the Green Stem business and the city would continue to work together to resolve any issues that may be caused by their business.

“I think if we were to deny the special land use with recreational use marijuana, it would make it difficult for them to work with the city. The additional revenue that they will get with the business of recreational marijuana would facilitate their ability to work with us,” DiCostanzo said.

Planning commission member Rodrigo Correa agreed.

“I think that’s a valid point, because economy does drive improvement. Green Stem has made many concessions about getting back and working with the city of Niles,” Correa said.

The commission voted to grant the special land use to Green Stem without concession, to move forward in obtaining their state licensing for adult use marijuana at their location. Their next steps will be to pass inspections and obtain their license.

Rosenberg Holdings, the medical marijuana processing facility, was granted a special land use request, as was Primative, as a medical marijuana medical provisioning center.