Medical marijuana, COGS parking permits discussed by council

A number of items dotted the East Lansing City Council’s work session agenda Tuesday, including a discussion on a possible medicinal marijuana ordinance and an approval request for a special parking permit program.

Marijuana ordinance discussion

The council opened up what likely will be a lengthy discussion at future meetings regarding medicinal marijuana dispensaries.

City staff proposed allowing caregivers to be classified as home occupancies, disallowing the opening of storefront dispensaries.

“This is our first proposal to council on how to deal with this,” Assistant City Attorney Tom Yeadon said. “Because the state doesn’t define how to deal with dispensaries.”

Yeadon said he sees the suggested ordinance as helping appease the more than 62 percent of voters who support the use of medicinal marijuana in the state.

Location requirements would require home occupancies be located more than 1,000 feet from schools and daycares. More than two patients would not be allowed on premises at any time.

The council was not ready to make any decision regarding the issue, and requested more information at the Aug. 24 work session.

Among what was requested by the council was more information regarding how other techniques in use by cities across the state are working, how the East Lansing Police Department feels regarding the issue and how the ordinance might affect neighborhoods.

East Lansing Mayor Vic Loomis said the police department is instrumental in his opinion.

“Their opinion is going to weigh heavily on whatever,” Loomis said.

Parking

The East Lansing City Council also approved a special parking permit program proposed by MSU’s Council of Graduate Students, or COGS.

East Lansing officials and COGS have discussed the possibility of a special parking program since fall 2009.

Under the program, the city would sell a bulk number of parking permits at $150 — a 50 percent discount — per semester for Lot 10, or the Division Street ramp.

The city would require a minimum of 100 permits be purchased by COGS and then sold to graduate students, relieving the parking department of paperwork, said Tim Dempsey, East Lansing’s planning and development director.

“It’s a good way to get some additional parkers in the system,” Dempsey said. “(COGS) will be a much larger user than any other parking user in the downtown.”

The permits – for the pilot program in fall 2010 and spring 2011 — will be for the use in the upper levels of the Division Street ramp.

“At any given time we have more than 100 open spaces at peak times,” East Lansing Parking Administrator Dan O’Connor said.

After the council approved the pilot program, Loomis told O’Connor and Demspey to “Go fill them up,” in reference to the garages.