NILES — Smoke signals of a city potentially entering a new era of economic development were puffed at Wednesday’s Niles Planning Commission meeting at the Niles Fire Department Complex.

Green Stem, LLC was unanimously approved to grow marijuana plants and process them for medicinal use at the site of the former Simplicity Pattern Company at 901 Wayne St. The business must be approved by Niles City Council next.

The company would use about 55,000 of 750,000 square feet of indoor industrial space for its business, growing and processing up to 6,000 plants a cycle using CO2 extraction.

Between its Simplicity site and its provisioning center slated to open by the end of the year at 1140 S. 11th St., up to 40 employees could be hired, Denise Lynch, co-owner, said.

The Lynches have already brought some staff, some from outside of Michigan, to the Niles area in anticipation of their business’ opening. Other staff will be hired from the area.

Lynch said she also hopes to eventually open the growing and processing center up to tours and save space for an art exhibit and a historical museum of Simplicity if the special land use request is approved by Niles City Council.

A lavender garden would also be built on part of Simplicity’s parking lot.

“We really like to bring people to Niles,” Lynch said.

Green Stem, LLC was not the only medical marijuana-related item discussed at the meeting.

Community development director Sanya Vitale briefed the commissioners on five other medical marijuana business whose local licenses Niles City Council approved.

• MJM Holdings is expected to open provisioning, growing and processing centers by the end of August in the industrial park.

• MichiCann, a small-grow facility licensed at a property in the industrial park, hope to open by the end of the year.

• MediCann is working on its finances with a partner in California. Vitale said she expects to hear from them shortly. It was approved for two licenses in the industrial park.

• Oasis was recommended to the state Marijuana Review Board to have its plans looked over. Vitale said the board has not turned down any plans yet.

Oasis hopes to occupy the building that Mancino’s is in on S. 11th Street. Mancino’s would not move.

• HDS Investments are working on obtaining title insurance.

Another medical marijuana business, Weinberg, is in its early planning stages.

Michigan Natural Remedies was also mentioned by Vitale. It applied to the city for a grow license in the industrial park, but it may wait to see whether city council decides to allow recreational marijuana facilities at a future meeting.

Vitale said she expects many medical marijuana facilities to expand their services to the recreational industry if the council allows it. Each would need to receive permission from the council before doing so.

Lynch of Green Stem said she has also heard from people in or interested in the medical marijuana field that may want to join Green Stem in Simplicity.

Five Niles residents who all live near Simplicity expressed their support for both Green Stem and medical marijuana. They each spoke about the drug’s health benefits.

Residents Steve Gargis and Susan Snyder both know people with drug addictions. They said they thought medical marijuana can help eliminate addictions.

The Food and Drug Administration does not approve medical marijuana as medicine, citing that no enough large-scale studies have shown that benefits outweigh risks. Independent studies have shown mixed results when it came to medical marijuana as way to break addiction.

“People shop doctors, and doctors keep writing prescriptions,” Gargis said. “Pills and pills and pills. We know through personal experience, from caregivers as well as people who use medical marijuana, that [medical marijuana] increases their quality of life. They’re not zombies on a bunch of pills. They’re functioning members of our society.”

Diane McMahon said she does not use medical marijuana but works as a nurse with patients who do.

“There are so many people that benefit from it,” she said. “I’m so excited for [Green Stem] just to move into the area.”

Penelope Vermillion and Larry Pierce both said they used medical marijuana. Vermillion uses it to treat Parkinson’s disease and anxiety. Pierce uses it to help him recover from a car accident in lieu of painkillers.

“Let’s use this building,” said Vermillion, speaking of Simplicity. “Let’s use our city. Let’s expand it.”

Gargis offered a similar sentiment.

“Our town was built on manufacturing. Manufacturing is a way of the past. This is a way to the future.”