Former Flint Police Academy may become new cannabis cultivation Op
A building that once housed the Flint Police College in Michigan could become a cannabis cultivation facility when a proposed sale now under consideration by the city council becomes final. When the transaction closes, the site will become a marijuana growing company for Evergrow LLC.
“It’s kind of ironic that the police department training facility that used to be anti-marijuana may turn into a marijuana grow business,” said Santino Guerra, councilor of Flint’s 3rd Ward, noting that he believed that the potential sale would be a “productive use” for the website.
The last class of Flint Police Academy studying on-site graduated in 2010. According to media reports, the facility also trained volunteers with the city’s Blue Badge Volunteer program. The building has not been used for years, has stood still and is covered with graffiti.
The proposed sale was presented to the city council by city officials on Monday. Under the contract, Evergrow would pay $ 500,000 for the site, which covers an area of 4.4 acres. Suzanne Wilcox, director of Flint’s planning and development department, said after Evergrow contacted city officials about buying the property, a tender on the property was posted within seven days. Evergrow’s offer far exceeded the only other offer for the package, which was only $ 20,000.
“We believe our land has value and we want to get the maximum value for this type of property,” said Wilcox. “We signed this purchase agreement (but) it obviously requires the approval of the city council.”
“This is a fair and valid offer,” added Wilcox.
Company looking for a quick sale of the former Flint Police Academy
Wilcox brought the proposed sale to the city council during its April 26th session without first submitting the offer to a council committee, which is the standard practice. The director said she forwarded the proposal directly to members of the council as Evergrow would like the deal to be completed within 30 days, adding that the company is keen to have the necessary construction on the site as soon as possible start possible.
“From the outset, the intent was to get the project up and running as quickly as possible,” said Franko Sallaku, managing partner of Evergrow. “Flint seemed like a good city to start this type of business,” added that the Flint Police College site “has been abandoned for a while.”
Before growing cannabis on the site, Evergrow would need to get approval from the Flint Planning Commission and obtain and obtain a marijuana business license from the state. The company would also need to apply for and obtain all necessary permits, pay fees, pass required inspections, and obtain a certificate of occupancy for the building. City officials said the former police academy site is properly zoned for licensed cannabis operations.
Despite Wilcox’s hopes that it would be useful, the city council decided to send the proposal 7-2 to a committee for consideration. Some councilors said they had questions about the sale of property owned by the city. The council also wanted more information about regulations related to growing marijuana within city limits.
Councilor Eric Mays of the city’s 1st District said if the delay threatened the closing of the deal, councilors could decide to hold a special meeting to consider the sale. Mays urged his colleagues to act quickly, saying, “I don’t want to close a deal.”
Regulated adult cannabis sales began in Michigan on December 1, 2019. Since then, the state’s recreational marijuana market has grown dramatically, reaching $ 1 billion in sales in 2021.
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