Lynnwood’s ban on selling marijuana held strong Monday night after the Lynnwood City Council struck down a proposal to allow city staff to discuss legalizing cannabis businesses in the city.

At its June 14 business meeting, the council voted 5-2 against a motion from Council President George Hurst to authorize the city’s planning commission to explore Lynnwood’s zoning codes allowing cannabis retail stores.

After Washington state voted in 2012 to legalize recreational use of marijuana, Lynnwood’s city council voted in 2013 to adopt a six-month moratorium against cannabis businesses. That moratorium was extended four times until 2015, when the council voted to ban the establishment of marijuana businesses in Lynnwood.

In his motion, Hurst said it would be the planning commission’s job to explore the city’s zoning laws and propose options, including possible changes, to allow for retail marijuana stores. Speaking to the motion, Hurst said it is counterintuitive of the council to support banning retail marijuana while also encouraging businesses to come to Lynnwood.

“It’s a legal business (and) it’s a thriving business in areas,” he said.

According to Hurst, some business owners have expressed interest in setting up shop in Lynnwood, if allowed. He also said cannabis businesses have been supportive of local non-profit organizations and that state officials have been encouraging cities to allow more marijuana businesses. With guidance from the planning commission, Hurst said the council would have more control over how the businesses handled signage and where they were located in the city.

“I know some people have concerns but I think it’s time to at least let the planning commission take a look at this,” he said. 

Combined with new legislation supporting businesses owned by people of color, Hurst said bringing cannabis shops to Lynnwood could help many minority business owners.

However, Hurst’s proposal gained little support from his fellow councilmembers. Councilmember Christine Frizzell said she would not support the motion because past council members repeatedly voted to support the ban. 

“I’m wondering how often we have to continue to bring it up since it’s come to council so many times in the past,” she said.

(Following the 2015 vote, then-Councilmember Sid Roberts said the prohibition on recreational and medical marijuana businesses was not permanent in that future councils could revisit the issue and change the law.)

In response to Frizzell, Hurst said he believes the retail marijuana industry has evolved and is worth exploring in depth, in spite of what the council wanted.

Council Vice President Jim Smith said he was uncomfortable that the matter was being brought before the council now, since some councilmembers are up for reelection this year and some, including Hurst, are campaigning for mayor. (Smith, Hurst and Frizzell will face each other in a mayoral primary in August.) 

Smith also said if state officials mandate cities to allow cannabis shops, then Lynnwood would do so but added that the council does not need to rush. In addition, he said that anyone looking to buy cannabis can do so in the neighboring cities of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace.

“It’s not like anybody that wants this particular product can’t easily find it…a few minutes away,” he said.

Smith ended his comments by saying if it was a matter of sales tax revenue, the council should legalize gambling and allow casinos to come to Lynnwood — but added that he did not support that either.

Councilmember Shannon Sessions also said she was not comfortable with the timing of the motion and that it was disrespectful of Hurst to continue to bring the matter before the council after “so many” of them had voted against it in the past. In addition, Sessions was critical of the marijuana business owners’ lack of contributions to the community

“Frankly, I think if they really wanted to do something they should really do some good community service and (make) some donations because they make a lot of money,” she said. 

Session said there was no evidence to support that the added sales tax revenue would benefit the city since Lynnwood would need to fund additional policing in areas where cannabis shops would be located. Sessions also said that Hurst’s statement that supporting marijuana businesses would assist people of color was “pushing it.”

“I think there’s a lot of better ways we could be helping our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) business communities and not to encourage marijuana stores,” she said. “There’s a variety of other traditional businesses we could be encouraging to have in our city.”

However, Hurst said he disagreed with Sessions’ comments about marijuana retailers’ financial contributions and added that there are many Lynnwood businesses that haven’t given back to the community the way cannabis store owners have. He also said he believed the industry had changed and Lynnwood was prepared to welcome cannabis shops that would in turn create more jobs in the city.

“It’s a new world,” he said. “Old prejudices have to go away and I do believe it’s time for Lynnwood to look at this in a legitimate way.”

Hurst’s only support came from Councilmember Ruth Ross, who voted against the ban in 2015. Ross did not speak to Hurst’s motion during the Monday meeting, but voted in favor of it.

Also during the meeting, the council held a public hearing for proposed amendments to the city’s Comprehensive Plan 2021. 

Recently, three amendments were presented to the council — two from city staff proposing changes to the language in two subarea plans and one from Housing Hope, an Everett-based non-profit that plans to partner with the Edmonds School District to offer housing to homeless students.

Per the proposal, staff are asking the council to add policy language to two of the city’s subarea plans — one regarding zoning near Edmonds College and the adjacent neighborhoods and the other covering zoning along Highway 99 — to increase competitiveness for projects seeking funding through low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC).

The proposal from Housing Hope and the school district suggests changing the zoning of a portion of the ballfield at Cedar Valley Community School — located at 19200 56th Avenue West  — to allow for a future housing development for homeless students and their families. Lynnwood Senior Planner Kristen Holdsworth said plans are still in the analysis stage.

During the hearing, Housing Hope CEO Fred Safstrom spoke in support of the proposed changes to the Cedar Valley ballfield zoning that would allow for the potential development. This is not the first time the housing nonprofit has looked to partner with Lynnwood to support local unhoused students.

In 2019, the city considered purchasing Rodeo Inn Motel (now Super 8 Motel), located at 20707 Highway 99 but decided against it, citing the high cost to redevelop the existing building. Housing Hope would have been in charge of running the housing complex in a partnership with the city. 

However, Safstrom said the process exemplified a regional interest in developing affordable housing in Lynnwood.

“This (Cedar Valley) property is very well located for this service,” he said. 

In other business, council members continued providing updates on the work done by various city boards and commissions they serve on as liaison to the council.

The council also voted to approve three ordinances previously discussed during other meetings including:

-an ordinance regarding the city’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
-an ordinance regarding the city’s Six-Year Capital Facilities Plan (CFP)
-an ordinance amending the city’s municipal codes regarding drug possession to bring them into alignment with recent state laws. The new laws make drug possession in Washington a misdemeanor, instead of a felony, and requires police to divert a defendant’s first two offenses to treatment. 

–By Cody Sexton