Could retail cannabis come to West Richland? Here’s what the council will decide on
West Richland could be looking to voters to end the discussion on potential retail cannabis sales in the city.
A decade ago, a split West Richland City Council voted to permanently ban pot shops, but over the past year the issue has become a point of contention for the council. Last fall one council member said they need to find a way to permanently put a close to the conversation.
The discussion died down for several months without a decision being made, but it appears the council is now looking for voters to have the final say on the matter.
The West Richland council was expected Tuesday night to consider putting an advisory vote on the Aug. 6 primary election ballot.
An advisory vote is a non-binding vote used by municipal governments to gauge voter interest on a topic. The council does not have to adhere to the direction indicated by the majority though.
The proposed text of the ballot measure says:
“Please advise the City Council (nonbinding) of your preference for recreational cannabis activities in the City.”
Allow regulation of cannabis retail sales within the city of West Richland.
Do not allow cannabis retail sales within the city of West Richland.
If the council chooses to put the advisory vote on the August ballot, they will also vote on whether to appoint members for the pro and con committees for the voters guide for that election.
People being considered for those groups are Walter Tamosaitis, Nancy Aldrich and Ken Weaver for the “Pro Committee” and David Cole, Cindy Reents, and Dan Richey for the “Con Committee.”
Using Aberdeen as an example, city staff have estimated retail cannabis sales could bring in $67,000 to $101,000 a year plus state shared revenue of about $60,000 a year.
Previous pot sales discussion
Ken Weaver is the owner of Yakima-based cannabis store Slow Burn. Last summer he submitted an environmental impact report to Washington state that would have opened the door for certain zoning changes to allow retail cannabis sales.
Between August and November the council debated the topic, with some members upset that their planning commission would vote to recommend approving the changes and even allow the discussion to make its way to the council.
In a November meeting Councilman John Smart said they needed to find a way to put a permanent pin in that proposal and all future ones. Fellow Council Member Richard Bloom suggested it was a big enough issue that it needed to be put to a public vote.
Smart also commented that the council needed to ensure they had people on the planning commission “for the right reasons.”
After public outcry, an attempt to sanction Smart for his comments failed at a December meeting.
Then the matter fell on the back burner, after council heard from a group of citizens opposed to allowing retail cannabis shops. The vote to consider approving the zoning changes was tabled without discussion in the months that followed.
West Richland previously used a community survey to attempt to measure where residents stood on the issue. Fewer than 700 people filled it out, and only 34% of respondents indicated they somewhat opposed or strongly opposed retail cannabis sales.
Many of the commenters who spoke at council meetings said they never saw the survey.
The survey found 32% of respondents strongly supported allowing cannabis shops, another 16% somewhat supported the idea and 18% were neutral.
The council also had staff prepare a report about police calls for service at Nirvana, a cannabis shop just outside of West Richland city limits. The presentation indicated the pot shop had fewer calls for service than gas stations or grocery stores in the city.
In a one year period, from July 2022 to July 2023, the West Richland Police Department received 22 calls to 911 at Nirvana compared to 140 at a grocery store 114 at a convenience store, according to a presentation given to the council.
However, several people who live nearby have said crime related to the cannabis store has spilled over to their homes and neighborhood.
Last year Pasco changed its zoning to allow for up to three retail cannabis stores. They’ve now been open for about six months, bringing the total number of Tri-Cities pot shops up to five, including Nirvana and Green2Go in Finley. There’s also one in Prosser.
Annette Cary contributed to this report.
