Pubdate: Wed, 01 Jul 2015
Source: Herald, The (Everett, WA)
Copyright: 2015 The Daily Herald Co.
Contact:  http://www.heraldnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190
Author: Chris Winters

EVERETT CLOSER TO A PERMANENT POT ORDINANCE

EVERETT - For the first time since the legal marijuana shops opened a 
year ago, the city of Everett is moving toward a permanent ordinance 
regulating how and where the new businesses will operate.

Everett has been operating under six-month temporary ordinances since 
November 2013.

Since then, three retail stores have opened in the city, but no 
marijuana production or processing businesses have opened. Businesses 
and residents have been waiting and lobbying the city to adopt a 
permanent measure.

The current ordinance expires July 27.

The newest proposal came before the City Council June 24. As 
recommended by the Planning Commission, the ordinance would loosen a 
few strictures in place, but tighten others that have drawn some 
criticism from some others.

In an unusual move, however, Mayor Ray Stephanson's administration is 
asking the City Council to consider an alternative that would 
continue many of the restrictions on the books now.

The main differences between the new proposal and the current rules 
are: Allowing producer-processor businesses to open that have more 
than 2,000 square feet of growing area; Allowing retail sales in the 
C2-ES zone, which surrounds Everett Station; Allowing production or 
processing facilities in the Maritime Services zone, but only in a 
building that straddles the line into the M2 manufacturing zone (a 
narrow description that includes just one building in the city); 
Reducing the separation requirement between producing-processing 
facilities and residential zones to 500 feet from 1,000 square feet; 
and Establishing design standards for retail stores.

The city's alternative would maintain most of the current 
restrictions and add one more: a minimum buffer of 1,000 square feet 
between each production-processing facility, in order to prevent the 
clustering of businesses.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom