The Auburn, Washington City Council passed an ordinance restricting the number of retail dispensaries, processors and producers in the city, according to a report by the Auburn Reporter. The measure limits the number of such businesses operating in the city to two.
The move comes following a lawsuit by Green Solutions Place against the city. The dispensary was given a license by the state to open in Auburn despite a local moratorium already in place limiting the number of dispensaries to two. That moratorium was not recognized by the state Liquor and Cannabis Board, who told cities it would raise the number of allowable dispensaries in jurisdictions last year.
The ordinance reestablishes the two dispensary limit, grandfathering in any existing dispensaries over that limit; restricts producing and processing facilities to a minimum of 4,000 square feet and a maximum of 90,000 total square feet; requires officials to create an action plan for the City Council and Planning Commission to review the potential and ongoing issues related to the recreational cannabis industry; and includes references to the regulatory and statutory provisions dealing with the use of organic solvents.
The ordinance will be the law of the land until the City can write zoning regulations to regulate the sector.
“The real solution to this is going to be found in zoning, which we’re working on right now,” City Councilman John Holman said in the report.
The rules were adopted unanimously by the City Council.