Title
Public Hearing on Proposed Changes to Regulations Pertaining to Zoning and Buffers for Cannabis Land Uses
Recommended Action
Hold public hearing on proposed changes to Zoning Regulations concerning retail sales of cannabis and, if the Commission has enough information, deliberate and formulate a recommendation to the City Council. The ordinance was previously approved on an emergency interim basis at Council's December 8, 2015 meeting.
Report
Issue:
The City is required to have the Planning Commission review and hold a public hearing on the zoning ordinance expanding recreational cannabis production, processing, and sales.
Staff Contact:
Chris Grabowski, Lead Code Enforcement Officer, CP&D, 360.753.8168
Background and Analysis:
The Washington State Legislature passed comprehensive legislation (2SSB 5052 & HB 2136) creating new regulations for the largely unregulated system of medical cannabis collectives and establishing a system that is overseen by the Washington State Department of Health. The legislation was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee on April 24, 2015. The long-standing "collectives" are now much smaller and more tightly regulated "cooperatives" that cannot easily rotate their four-person membership. The four-person cooperative can grow up to fifteen (15) plants per member. Cooperatives cannot sell or donate their product to other medical users, even those registered with the state, and members have to work the plants rather than pay into the cooperative. This step alone effectively ended the proliferation of medical collective storefronts. The State's new regulations mandated that all collective garden storefronts cease operation by July 1, 2016. Along with the above changes, the legislature also authorized local jurisdictions to reduce the 1,000 foot buffers to as low as 100 feet on all protected uses except schools and playgrounds, which must remain at 1,000 feet.
The Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) commissioned a study b...
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