The Lynnwood City Council decided at its Monday meeting to extend its conversation on whether to lift the ban of retail cannabis sales in Lynnwood. The council April 28 voted in favor of a motion allowing city staff to continue looking into the logistics of legalizing sales in Lynnwood – with a council vote tentatively scheduled for Sept. 22.

Prior to voting the council will hold a series of meetings to work out the details and public hearings to allow residents to weigh in on the matter. 

Monday’s meeting kicked off with proclamations for National Day of Prayer on May 1 and Public Service Recognition Week from May 5-9. 

The council was joined by local faith leaders for the Day of Prayer proclamation, and city staff participated in the public service week proclamation. 

In addition, the council unanimously voted to confirm Jody Nummer as the newest member of the city’s History and Heritage Board.

The council also unanimously approved an ordinance adopting a new Commute Trip Reduction Plan. The plan, mandated by state law, requires large employers in Lynnwood – and other cities in Washington – to provide employees with options to take public transportation to work. The goal is to reduce single-rider vehicle trips in the city. 

And the council unanimously approved amendments to city policy regarding Development and Business Services (DBS) fees to fix minor typographical errors. 

Retail cannabis 

Retail cannabis stores have been a hot topic for the city council since recreational use was legalized in Washington in 2012. The 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. The topic came up again in 2021, when the council considered – but rejected – a proposal by Hurst to allow city staff to discuss legalizing cannabis businesses in the city. 

In April 2024, Council President Nick Coelho suggested the city look into repealing the ban. In September of that year, the council supported Councilmember Hurst’s motion to direct the Planning Commission to provide guidelines for removing the ban. City staff presented the commission’s guidelines at the April 21 council meeting. 

Changing land use regulations requires specific steps mandated by the state Growth Management Act and Lynnwood Municipal Code. These steps include providing a minimum 60-day notice to the state Department of Commerce, conducting a State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) review, and holding public hearings before both the Planning Commission and the City Council. This process typically takes at least 75 days, but requires additional time when the council’s direction differs from the Planning Commission’s recommendation, which was the case at last week’s meeting, according to city documents. 

With that in mind, City Planning Manager Karl Almgren presented the council with two options and potential timelines on how to move forward with legalizing retail cannabis sales in Lynnwood. 

Option A, which would allow city staff more time to prioritize the city’s Unified Development Code (UDC) and the City Center and Alderwood plans – with a final vote on legalizing retail cannabis sales in late September. If the council doesn’t adopt the UDC by the end of June, the state will assign Lynnwood a “model” code, removing the city’s ability to adopt a set of development and zoning guidelines fine-tuned to fit Lynnwood’s needs. 

Option B, which would “fast track” the process, requiring city staff to work on the retail cannabis project in a shorter timespan, Almgren said. Under this option, the council would potentially vote June 23. 

City staff did not recommend Option B, stating growing concerns “about adequate staff time to complete the Unified Development Code and the City Center + Alderwood Plan by June 23rd,” city documents say. Option B’s timeline was previously considered as an option in preliminary conversations in September; however, delays of the Comprehensive Plan due to appeal, and increased complexity of the UDC, has impacted the schedule.

The council voted 6-1 in favor of Option A, with Councilmember Hurst casting the sole vote against. City documents outline the following potential timeline for option A, unless the council chooses to change its course of action at a later date:  

• May 5: Council work session to develop list of items and considerations for further review, including a map review of required buffers. 
• June 16: Council work session to review list and review maps. 
• July 14: Council business meeting to conduct item-by-item voting to develop an ordinance and refer to the Planning Commission. 
• July 24: Planning Commission work session. 
• Aug.14: Planning Commission public hearing. 
• Sept. 2: City Council work session. 
• Sept. 8: City Council public hearing. 
• Sept. 22: City Council consideration. 

Before option A was adopted, the council voted 4-3 against “Option B,” with Councilmembers Josh Binda, Derica Escamilla and Hurst voting in favor of the option. 

However, before the council took a vote on either option, it  voted 6-1 in favor of Councilmember Hurst’s motion “that the Lynnwood City Council affirms that retail cannabis sales should be allowed within the City Limits of Lynnwood.” Councilmember Patrick Decker voted against. 

Hurst said the council had discussed this matter on and off for years, and wanted to separate the question of “if” retail cannabis should be allowed from “how” it would be regulated. He said he wanted to make it clear to the public and city staff that the majority of the council wants to allow cannabis sales in the city in the future. 

City Attorney Lisa Marshall said that Hurst’s motion doesn’t have any real effect on whether cannabis sales are legal in Lynnwood, since the council would still need to update its zoning regulations to accommodate the change. 

But Almgren noted that the council needed to provide staff with direction on either Option A or B to move forward. 

Coelho said that while he voted for Option A – which includes an extended timeline – as council president he can choose to introduce the item at a sooner date. However, he said he believed the council was long overdue to allow retail cannabis sales in Lynnwood. 

“I would like to remind people that this city voted in a majority to legalize retail cannabis and recreational cannabis,” Coelho said. “We’re way past saying ‘no’ to this. This policy has been way out of line with our residents for over a decade.” 

Decker, who in the past strongly opposed removing Lynnwood’s ban on cannabis sales, said he favored Option A because it allows city staff to “focus on what’s really critical.” This will give staff time to work on its other projects and also allow the council to clarify the details around repealing the ban, he said. 

Almgren said the matter will move forward for discussion at next week’s council meeting on May 5. 

A full recording of the meeting can be found on the city’s website.

— Contact Ashley at ashley@myedmondsnews.com.