From pins to pot: Business looks to convert former Lansing bowling alley to grow, sell recreational cannabis – Lansing State Journal

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PG Manufacturing plans to grow, process and sell recreational marijuana at the former site of the Pro Bowl bowling alley, photographed on Thursday, March 5, 2020, in Lansing.(Photo: Nick King/Lansing State Journal)

LANSING The former site of Lansing's Pro Bowl is under construction with big plans togrow, process and sell recreational marijuana.

The company behind the operation, PG Manufacturing, already has licenses to grow medical marijuana and is angling forapproval to grow hundreds, or potentially thousands,of plants for recreational use.

Applications are pending through the city to open a recreational marijuana processor and a recreationalmarijuana retailer at the same location,2122 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Construction crewswere at the former Pro Bowl site Thursday near Gregory's Soul Food restaurant.

Related:Thousands flocked to Lansing pot shops after adult-use sales began

The northwest Lansing property has six conditional recreational grow licenses from the city of Lansing.It still needs approval from state regulators to become fully licensed.

A single grow license allows a business to cultivate between 100 and 2,000 plants. By 2021, Lansing could license up to 55 grow facilities throughout the city.

PG is on track to become one of the biggest marijuana operators in Lansingwith applications pending at multiple levels of the cannabis supply chain.

State records list Jared Rapp, anattorney, as PG Manufacturing's resident agent. Reached by phone last week, Rapp described PG as a large-scale, "vertically integrated" marijuana company.

"PG Group appreciates all the work the city clerk has done to get businesses licensed and operational in this new industry,"Sam Usman Jr., the company's owner and CEO, said in a statement. "Our team is thrilled to be in the process of revitalizing the old Pro Bowl location for our grow and processing facility. Once operational the improved facility will mean more property tax revenue for the city, and more jobs for area residents."

Within the next eight to 12 months, the company plans to host a job fair to hire up to 100 workers, according to Usman.

A limited liability company bought the formerPro Bowl property, which includes two buildings at more than 52,600 square feet total, for$335,000in April 2019.

The new owners applied for building permits this year to expand the facility with drying rooms, trimming rooms and basement product coolers, property records show.

More:Marijuana growers gobble up electricity, but Michigan pot law doesn't address energy efficiency

PG Manufacturing plans to grow, process and sell recreational marijuana at the former site of the Pro Bowl bowling alley, photographed on Thursday, March 5, 2020, in Lansing.(Photo: Nick King/Lansing State Journal)

Johnnie Johns opened the Pro Bowl in 1964 on Lansing's west sideand his family later opened a second bowling alley in Meridian Township.

Johnnie Johns sold the Lansing location to son, Jim Johns, during the 1980s, according to Lansing State Journal files.

The 50-year-old bowling alley auctioned off its memorabilia in 2014 before closing up shop.

If PG's plans come to fruition, the property latest iteration will replace stacking pins with stacking pot.

The company is connected to medical marijuana dispensaries throughout Lansing known as Old 27 Wellness,Stateside Wellness, andCornerstone Wellness. Another affiliated shop, Pure Options at5815 S. PennsylvaniaAvenue, sells both medical and recreational marijuana.

Related:Amateur radio operators complain of interference from marijuana grow lights

By growing and processing its own marijuana,PG could avoid supply issues that have plagued pot shops in Michigan since medical sales first became legal.

Beginning in October, Michigan will only allow retailers to get cannabis from licensed grow facilities. The shops will no longer be able carry products from people operating as caregivers under Michigan's medical marijuana laws. Caregivers currently contribute roughly 60% of the marijuana flower in Michigan's marketplace, according to the Detroit Free Press.

In Michigan, the difference between recreational and medical marijuanalies in how the two products are licensed, labeled and taxed.

Medical marijuana is available to adults and children with state-issued medical marijuana cards. With a physician's approval, people with medical conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, cerebral palsy, arthritis and chronic pain, can obtain the cards.

Any adult age21 and over can buy recreational marijuana in Michigan after voters legalized the drug in late 2018.Lansing's first recreational marijuana stores opened last month.

Contact reporter Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com.Follow her on Twitter@SarahGLehr.

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From pins to pot: Business looks to convert former Lansing bowling alley to grow, sell recreational cannabis - Lansing State Journal