The Okanogan County commissioners will hold a public hearing later this month on amendments to the zoning code that would change where cannabis could be grown. The proposal would also impose rules to minimize the impact on neighboring parcels.
The proposed changes require a parcel of at least 5 acres for a marijuana farm. In addition, outdoor cannabis grows cannot be in a high-density area, which is where the predominant lot size is 2 or 5 acres.
The changes would require a fence at least 25 feet from the neighboring property line. Under the proposal, all types of lighting — not just grow lights and outdoor and security lighting — would have to be downcast and shielded from neighboring properties.
Marijuana farms would have to get a conditional-use permit in the Methow Review District (which runs from Gold Creek to Mazama). A conditional-use permit provides additional review and the opportunity for public comment. Farms are prohibited in residential zones.
Existing cannabis operations would be required to comply with stricter fencing, lighting and signage regulations by January 2021.
The proposed changes come after a moratorium on new cannabis businesses, a review by a cannabis advisory committee composed of members of the public and of the cannabis industry, and several public hearings on interim proposals.
The public hearing is Monday, Feb. 25, at 3 p.m. in the commissioners’ auditorium in Okanogan. People can provide up to five minutes of verbal comment at the hearing, or submit written comments at the hearing or in advance to Cortney Ingle at cingle@co.okanogan.wa.us.
For more information or a copy of the proposed zoning changes, contact the Planning Department at (509) 422-7160.
New rules for hemp?
The county’s planning commissioners, who approved the cannabis changes two weeks ago, also recommended that the county commissioners look at provisions for industrial hemp because the 2018 federal Farm Bill lifts some restrictions on hemp, said Okanogan County Planning Director Perry Huston. Huston said he would include hemp in one of his weekly study sessions with the county commissioners.
The county’s zoning code allows the growing of hemp, but only on the Colville Reservation (also called the minimum requirement district). Growing hemp is subject to a conditional-use permit everywhere else.
Hemp can be grown for fiber, food and medicinal uses. Research is underway connected with extracting cannabidiol (CBD) from hemp. CBD doesn’t produce a high and some studies have shown that it can have a range of therapeutic effects.
