In brief: Spokane Valley council halts new pot businesses

Citing a public health crisis, the Spokane Valley City Council on Tuesday passed a moratorium on all marijuana businesses other than retail, production and processing operations already licensed by the state of Washington.

Spokane Valley City Manager Mike Jackson said the moratorium is meant to curb marijuana businesses that are not regulated by the state’s Liquor Control Board such as vapor lounges. The moratorium does not impact personal use but may impact medical marijuana dispensaries.

The moratorium was added to the council agenda at the last minute and took effect immediately after a unanimous vote. Councilman Bill Bates was absent.

A few marijuana business owners and supporters scrambled to the meeting on short notice and pleaded with the City Council not to pass the moratorium. Some recommended Spokane Valley look to the city of Spokane for guidance on how to deal with marijuana businesses.

“We have different values here in the Valley,” Councilman Arne Woodard said. “And we have seen an explosion of DUIs before it was legal to buy marijuana, and since.”

The moratorium requires a public hearing be held within 60 days, after which the city can maintain it or change it. The Spokane Valley scheduled that hearing during the meeting on Jan. 27.

Pia Hallenberg

City, MLK center agree on building’s sale price

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Outreach Center will purchase the building it’s occupied in Spokane’s East Central neighborhood for more than 30 years from the city before the end of the year.

The city, which has been leasing the building – a former fire station – to the center for $1 a year, agreed to the purchase price of $132,500 after three years of negotiations with the center. A credit of $123,000 will be given to the center, accounting for the improvements it’s made over the years. The center will make up the rest of the price in cash.

Freda Gandy, the center’s executive director, said the center provides services to about 100 kids. Almost half of them are preschoolers getting prepared for kindergarten and the other half go to after-school programs at Grant Elementary School, which are run by the center.

Gandy said by owning the building, the center could house all its programs under one roof and be in a better position to apply for grants and funding to expand the programs.

The City Council must approve the deal, but council members signaled Monday they were supportive.

Nick Deshais