2018/05/09 Council Agenda Packet

federal guidelines. To date, Seattle has cut those non-school/non-playground buffers to 500 feet city- wide without untoward results; in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, those same buffers were dropped to 250 feet. Community Stewardship and Outreach The leadership and ownership of the proposed five additional retail stores represent more than 30 years of collective medical and recreational leadership experience. This combined and proven experience has resulted in the establishment of unique methods to address the concerns of the community through education and outreach. These shop owners have pledged more than$30,000 to educate the vulnerable populations and youth on the dangers of underage marijuana use and its potential impact on their future. These efforts and a willingness to engage and support the neighborhoods in which they operate, demonstrates their commitment to improving the Everett Community. (A sample brochure from the Cannabis Education Coalition is provided.) The shops that are proposing to do business in Everett are the very same people that volunteer in this community. They not only do business and provide opportunities to their employees, but they are your neighbors, your friends and law abiding citizens providing a service that the people of this state voted for. To deprive them of the very opportunities that are afforded to liquor stores, supermarkets or other legally licensed and operated businesses, is counterproductive to what has given Everett its identity for the last 125 years. Market Saturation is not a Relevant Concern Market saturation should be the least of our concerns. The Recreational Retail Cannabis Industry has demonstrated that it can be an economic driver for the state of Washington, for our cities, and for our counties. Restricting the number of these shops for fear of market saturation is a weak argument that is based on the existing shop's concern for the increased competition. Competition is also the free markets way of pushing the bad actors out and bringing new and innovative employers in. There is no other industry that we are aware of that is adjudged or allowed based solely on the market saturation that is associated with it. To deprive these potential community partners and business owners an opportunity to contribute to this community based on this argument does a great disservice to the citizens of Everett. How Highway 99 Ended Up With So Many Stores There was a rush among retail cannabis applicants in the "at-large" Snohomish County to find 1,000 foot buffer compliant properties in late-2015 and early-2016. With the exception of a few compliant areas along Highway 9 that met the county's zoning requirements, Highway 99 north of Lynnwood and south of Everett was the only stretch of the county where there were buffer-compliant locations meeting the county's zoning designations and where there were a large number of willing landlords. When the LCB began issuing retail licenses to the second round of 16 stores in Snohomish County, potential licensees had to scramble to get licensed anywhere they could or LCB would kill their applications. A large number of licensees landed properties along Highway 99. At this point,the county had not put in place a 1,000 foot dispersion rule. When the county passed a moratorium in June 2016 and later passed a dispersion rule, most of the stores along Highway 99 were either already licensed by the LCB, or were in some form of the permitting process with the county were, therefore, vested. It was not legally possible for the county to force them to move.