Lynnwood council discusses allowing retail cannabis, staff maps zones and buffer options

Lynnwood — City planning staff laid out where retail cannabis stores could legally locate in Lynnwood under state law and under a range of smaller local buffers, while public-health experts and state lawmakers urged caution.

The council in a work session on June 16 heard that state law sets a 1,000-foot minimum buffer between retail cannabis stores and restricted uses such as libraries, public parks, transit centers and childcare, and that local jurisdictions may reduce that buffer (except for elementary or secondary schools and public playgrounds) down to 100 feet. Planning staff showed maps that apply the standard 1,000-foot buffer and then stepped the buffers down in 100-foot intervals to show which parcels in General Commercial, Highway 99 Mixed Use, Alderwood and City Center zones would become available as the buffer decreases.

Why it matters: the council must decide whether to continue Lynnwood’s long-standing moratorium on retail cannabis or allow sales with local rules. State Representative Lauren Davis and county public-health staff urged strict controls, saying local policy choices affect…