Bellevue Council Moves to Limit Marijuana Operations In City

BELLEVUE, WA - The City Council earlier this month voted to enact new regulations on marijuana retail stores that would limit the number of pot shops to six citywide.

The Council voted 4-3 on Nov. 8 in favor of the ordinance. The vote came on the eve of the expiration of interim regulations that the Council put in place last spring.

Lenka Wright, Bellevue's chief communications officer, told Patch.com that the ordinance was in response to residents' concerns.

"In regards to the maximum cap of six stores in Bellevue citywide, this is the same number that the interim ordinance had," Wright said in a statement. "The City Council also acted on the issue after a group of residents raised a number of concerns about marijuana stores in the city and their proximity to schools and neighborhoods."

Here are some parts of the new ordinance:

• Sets a 100-foot buffer between residential districts and marijuana retailers
• Allows for two marijuana sellers in the BelRed area
• Allows one marijuana retailer in the Medical Institution or the BelRed Medical Office-1 zoning districts
• Prohibits marijuana co-ops and marijuana research facilities

Deputy Mayor John Chelminiak and Councilmembers Conrad Lee and Kevin Wallace voted against the ordinance. Lee said during the meeting he "felt compelled" to vote no because of parts of the ordinance dealing with prohibiting medical marijuana co-ops.

There are three marijuana retailers operating in Bellevue, and the ordinance states that residents have not complained about a lack of access to marijuana. At the same time, the state Liquor Control Board earlier this year doubled the number of marijuana retail licenses available in cities like Bellevue. The state would allow a maximum of eight retailers in the city.

The Council also adopted a new ordinance that would allow the city to seek civil penalties or the closure of any marijuana store that is found in violation of the state law.

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