Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The opening of a fifth marijuana store in Yakima will likely be put off again after Tuesday's Yakima City Council meeting.
The council is expected to review a planning commission recommendation to deny a request allowing the sale of marijuana in light industrial zones – areas of the city generally reserved for businesses that don't generate much traffic.
The request to reconsider the zoning came from Ken Weaver, who owns Slow Burn in Union Gap and wants to open another store at 1107 S. Third St., the former Max's Tavern. He said, after an exhaustive search, this location is one of very few open buildings that fit other requirements for marijuana sale, such as distance from schools and day care.
After reviewing the zoning requirements and Weaver's position, the planning commission remained firm in the original recommendation to leave light industrial areas out, saying the sale of marijuana does not fit with the "light industrial" designation.
But Weaver thinks the issue runs deeper than that.
"I was asking them to let me rehab the old Max's building because it's in such a sorry state of disrepair," he said. "It's legal right now to grow marijuana there with that zoning, but they won't let me sell it? That just comes back to people's moral objection to marijuana. If they perceive an opportunity to vote against marijuana, that's what they're going to do."
But planning commission chairwoman Patricia Byers said the decision centered solely around the purpose of light industrial zones.
The zone "is established to preserve areas near designated truck routes, freeways and railroads," she said.
Allowing retail businesses in the area would increase congestion and traffic in those areas, making it more challenging for large trucks to go through the area and possibly diverting them into residential areas.
Marijuana production and packaging is still allowed in the light industrial zone.
The council is also expected to conduct a closed record public hearing – meaning public testimony is generally not accepted – and consider an ordinance to rezone 3.1 acres at 4503 Powerhouse Road to accommodate a residential mini-storage facility.
The meeting will start at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Council Chambers at 129 N. Second St.
This will also be the first meeting the city is livestreaming. That stream can be accessed on the city's website on the City Council drop-down menu. The service is free and can be viewed on cellphones, laptops and home computers, among other devices.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Yakima Council to review marijuana store zoning request | Local | yakimaherald.com
Author: Kaitlin Bain
Contact: Contact Us | Site | yakimaherald.com
Photo Credit: Market Elevated
Website: yakimaherald.com | A Daily Part of Your Life
The council is expected to review a planning commission recommendation to deny a request allowing the sale of marijuana in light industrial zones – areas of the city generally reserved for businesses that don't generate much traffic.
The request to reconsider the zoning came from Ken Weaver, who owns Slow Burn in Union Gap and wants to open another store at 1107 S. Third St., the former Max's Tavern. He said, after an exhaustive search, this location is one of very few open buildings that fit other requirements for marijuana sale, such as distance from schools and day care.
After reviewing the zoning requirements and Weaver's position, the planning commission remained firm in the original recommendation to leave light industrial areas out, saying the sale of marijuana does not fit with the "light industrial" designation.
But Weaver thinks the issue runs deeper than that.
"I was asking them to let me rehab the old Max's building because it's in such a sorry state of disrepair," he said. "It's legal right now to grow marijuana there with that zoning, but they won't let me sell it? That just comes back to people's moral objection to marijuana. If they perceive an opportunity to vote against marijuana, that's what they're going to do."
But planning commission chairwoman Patricia Byers said the decision centered solely around the purpose of light industrial zones.
The zone "is established to preserve areas near designated truck routes, freeways and railroads," she said.
Allowing retail businesses in the area would increase congestion and traffic in those areas, making it more challenging for large trucks to go through the area and possibly diverting them into residential areas.
Marijuana production and packaging is still allowed in the light industrial zone.
The council is also expected to conduct a closed record public hearing – meaning public testimony is generally not accepted – and consider an ordinance to rezone 3.1 acres at 4503 Powerhouse Road to accommodate a residential mini-storage facility.
The meeting will start at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Council Chambers at 129 N. Second St.
This will also be the first meeting the city is livestreaming. That stream can be accessed on the city's website on the City Council drop-down menu. The service is free and can be viewed on cellphones, laptops and home computers, among other devices.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Yakima Council to review marijuana store zoning request | Local | yakimaherald.com
Author: Kaitlin Bain
Contact: Contact Us | Site | yakimaherald.com
Photo Credit: Market Elevated
Website: yakimaherald.com | A Daily Part of Your Life
