Client In the News:

New Standard opening first dispensary in Grand Rapids near Medical Mile

By: Kate Carlson, Posted February 28, 2022

GRAND RAPIDS — New Standard plans to open its first dispensary in Grand Rapids with a new building in the city’s Midtown district near Medical Mile.

The Grand Rapids Planning Commission will consider a new site plan for the dispensary at 1109 Michigan St. NE. The planning commission previously approved a site plan on Jan. 8, 2020 to convert a former auto body repair shop on the property into a dispensary. However, the former shop was in a state of disrepair when initial construction began, proving to be financially unviable to renovate, according to planning documents.

A modern, two-story structure is now proposed for the property. Copper Rock Construction Inc. serves as the general contractor and Progressive AE Inc. serves as the architect on the project.

“We love the area and think that hopefully there will be a lot of foot traffic,” New Standard co-founder and CEO Howard Luckoff told MiBiz. “We’re trying to design a facility that lends itself to walkability as well as consumers who are driving.”

New Standard entered into an agreement in May 2021 to rebrand Agri-Med LLC’s three West Michigan dispensaries as New Standard stores. New Standard currently has eight locations and plans to open a ninth dispensary in Whitehall in mid-March. The Grand Rapids location is expected to be the company’s 10th Michigan store.

“We were really fixated on opening a dispensary in this area, which will be one of our flagship stores for our company,” Luckoff said.

New Standard’s other locations are in Hazel Park, Muskegon, Edmore, Nunica, Grand Haven, Saugatuck, Sand Lake and Ann Arbor.