Estacada businesses press council to act on cannabis odor in industrial park

At a regular council meeting, business owners and council members urged the Estacada City Council to take faster, stronger action to control persistent cannabis-processing odors that neighbors and nearby businesses say have driven away customers and employees.

The complaint drew detailed public comment from Eric Sale, owner of Northwest Technologies, who said the odor has persisted since 2017 and affects employees, customers and property values. "The odor is offensive," Sale said. "It's offensive to work in, to take home in your car and on your clothes." He told the council that some businesses have moved work or customers away and that code enforcement has been limited.

City staff described ongoing research into enforcement options and measurement tools. Peter, a city staff member, told the council staff is studying other jurisdictions' ordinances and measurement equipment and said staff hopes to bring a formal package of options to the council in roughly a month. He said options under review include full containment (a zero-emission standard used by some jurisdictions), restrictions on timing of discharges and use of business licensing as an enforcement or compliance tool.

Why it matters: industrial-park odors are a local economic and workplace issue in Estacada. Councilors and business owners said the smell has reduced hiring and driven out customers; staff said the city must weigh enforcement tools against legal risk and choose measurement equipment that is reliable and affordable.

What was said and asked: Sale told the council he and other businesses raised the issue repeatedly and that current city practice — requiring certain HVAC equipment and annual filter changes for cannabis processors — effectively removed odor as a basis for code enforcement in practice. He urged the council to pursue code language like Portland's odor standard (which defines an odor threshold and exempts detections under 15 minutes per day) and to consider enforcement of CCRs and business-license requirements where applicable.

Staff repeated that the issue is legally and technically complex. Peter said his research has included looking at King County and other jurisdictions that use stringent containment standards and at measurement devices that can detect cannabis-related compounds, but that some equipment proved unreliable in other cities. He said the city wants to present a tested package to reduce legal exposure and that part of the work also revealed gaps in business-license compliance.

Council response and next steps: Multiple council members expressed urgency for a solution. City staff committed to return with a formal proposal or a substantial update within about a month, and the council discussed public outreach to invite industrial-park business owners to a meeting on the topic when the staff package is presented.

No formal action was taken at the meeting; staff will return with recommended ordinance or code language, enforcement options and any recommended business-license or inspection changes.

Ending: The council directed staff to proceed with research and to aim to present options at an upcoming meeting so council and affected businesses can review proposals and public testimony together.