Michigan voters decided that the Detroit City Council shouldn't have as much power to limit marijuana in their city, so the Detroit City Council shut it all down.
"A moratorium prohibiting new medical marijuana facilities from opening in Detroit for nearly six months went into effect Wednesday," reports Katrease Stafford.
Unlike the surprise Airbnb ban that took effect and was quickly renounced last week, this moratorium seems to have the force of law: "A spokesman for Mayor Mike Duggan confirmed to the Free Press that the mayor signed the resolution early Wednesday, a day after the Detroit City Council voted in favor of the 180-day moratorium."
The city decided to enact the moratorium after Michigan voters approved two initiatives that relax local regulation of marijuana businesses. Late last year, "the City Council pushed the city's legal department to challenge the proposals, saying both measures contain improper and potentially illegal zoning language," reports Stafford. Detroit had passed an ordinance in 2016 that made it more difficult to operate marijuana dispensaries.
Stafford also reports that Councilmember James Tate is working on new legislation would update local marijuana regulations in response to the new state laws.
FULL STORY: Freeze on new Detroit pot shops goes into effect
A Pro-Housing Policy List of Your Wildest YIMBY Dreams
This list is a wishlist of the most ambitious possible YIMBY political platform.
Texas town's data center ban challenged by state senator
In June, San Marcos became the first city in Texas to prohibit data centers.
California Gives 15 Cities ‘Final Warning’ to Submit Mandatory Housing Plans
Communities are required to produce housing elements that accommodate sufficient housing for all income levels.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association