Indoor-outdoor cannabis consumption concert venue gets greenlit in Ypsilanti Township
YPSILANTI TWP., Mich. (FOX 2) - A music venue where the paying customers can consume cannabis in Ypsilanti Township would be the first of its kind in the state.
The venue is called Pipeline and the person behind the idea is Mike Ludtke. The owner of Inside 20 After 4 smoke shop in Ypsilanti, He says the township is the perfect spot for his passion project.
"The outdoor amphitheater can hold 650 people," said Ludtke "A food truck area as well."
The plans were recently approved by the township for the Pipeline Consumption venue.
"I’ve been a musician my whole life, a piano player and drummer and I joined the cannabis industry in 2012-2013," he said. "I always kind of wanted to mesh the two into one."
About three years ago he put his plan into action, trying to find the right combination of space and access.
"We both needed something that was cannabis-friendly and somewhere where we could be loud," he said.
And he found a parcel of land, zoned industrial off I-94 next to the water treatment plant in Ypsilanti Township.
It may not look like very much right now but soon the four-acre plot of land will be transformed into two venues.
One planned venue is an outdoor one holding 650 people, while another indoors can hold up to 250.
The developer says he chose this spot because it’s conveniently located close to Ann Arbor, close to Ypsilanti. Also, not too close to the neighbors.
Three years worth of sound studies, erosion studies and other construction hurdles, had to be navigated, he said, including fine-tuning the optics of the venue.
Ludtke was invested in making this work in more ways than one.
"Personally with family and friends, (we've) invested 650,000 so far," he said.
Ludtke also be investing in industrial-grade air purifiers for the indoor portion of the venue.
On Aug. 27th the planning commission signed off - meaning he could break ground.
"Within the next month hopefully," he said. "We're starting to pull permits right now."
All of which means he can then focus on the fun part - booking acts.
"DJs, electronic music and the local Detroit rap scene," he said.
Ludtke hopes to open the Pipeline Consumption Venue by next summer.
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