HomeMy WebLinkAbout26 Zc,-7
Amy L. Does, Ph.D.
8802 Flagler Rd.
Nordland, WA 98358
June 27, 2017
Stephen K. Causseaux
Jefferson County Hearing Examiner
902 South 10th Street
Tacoma, WA 98405
Re: Marijuana production facility proposed at 9272 Flagler Rd.,Nordland, WA
Jefferson County Case number: ZON17-00003 /BLD17-000093
Dear Mr. Causseaux:
I am worried that inadequate infrastructure is in place on Marrowstone Island to support the
marijuana production facility proposed at 9272 Flagler Rd. I am concerned that police and fire
response times to the site are inadequate, especially given the nature of the proposed business.
According to Table 3-1 in Chapt 18.15 of the Jefferson county code marijuana production
facilities on 10-acre rural residential plots require conditional use permits- C(d). Chapter
18.40.530 of the code, section lb, states that"The conditional use will be served by adequate
infrastructure including roads, fire protection,water,wastewater disposal, and stormwater
control." Certainly this includes adequate law enforcement.
At the March 20 Marrowstone Island Community Association meeting we heard presentations
from Jefferson County law enforcement and East Jefferson County Fire and Rescue.
Sheriff Stanko and the fire commissioner both voiced concerns that response times to
Marrowstone Island from either department could be 20-minutes or more after the first
911 call was received. Per Sheriff Stanko, the response time could be a full hour if
deputies were occupied elsewhere.
The odds are high that a break-in will occur at any marijuana facility.A local burglary on
February 15,2017 at Discovery Bay's Sea Change Cannabis is an example)According to an
article in the Sept. 8, 2016 New York Times, Denver is one of the few jurisdictions compiling data
on crimes at marijuana businesses. With 421 pot-growing houses and shops, Denver recorded
192 burglaries and thefts at such businesses in 2015.1 In a Feb 5, 2014 report,NBC News
estimated the annual robbery and burglary rate at marijuana businesses in Denver at
approximately 50 percent.2
The threat is not only robbery but violence. NBC News reported one dispensary incident where
two gunmen filled trash bags with marijuana as a third leapt over the counter and took a female
employee by the elbow, leading her around the shop as a"human insurance policy." In
California, in 2010, a gunman forced workers down on the ground,robbed their medical
marijuana dispensary, and returned moments later to shoot both in the back of their heads. 2
The violence extends to marijuana producers as well as dispensaries. On December 29, 2016 the
Portland Oregonian reported:
"four masked intruders severely beat and robbed a marijuana grower in Jackson County
(Oregon)...The assailants woke[grower]James Bowman in the early hours of Dec. 16,
broke his nose and left him with black eyes, county sheriff's officials said. They filled a
rented U-Haul truck with hundreds of pounds of harvested marijuana and took off...
Hours later, two of Bowman's workers discovered the 56-year-old, still tied up... Mr.
Bowman's site had been inspected and met his state's[security]requirements. "3
According to the Oregonian"Experienced marijuana growers in southern Oregon...say break-
ins,thefts, and robberies aren't a new threat."What set Bowman's case apart was the rapid
response of law enforcement. 3
On Marrowstone Island law enforcement would probably not be able to respond rapidly. Further,
the proposed marijuana facility is in a heavily wooded area 1/2 mile from a 780 acre state park
where violent individuals might easily evade police.
Siting a marijuana business on Marrowstone Island is a bad idea. Such businesses cannot be
hidden. The state publishes the addresses of marijuana producers online! Marijuana growing
operations, such as the one proposed for 9272 Flagler Rd., are designed to hold over$1.5 million
dollars of product at any given time.A black market for this product is alive and well. My
neighbors and I should not have to deal with the threat of violence that accompanies such a
business. We moved here seeking a peaceful and secure community. Please direct the applicant to
find an alternative location for his facility,where law enforcement is more readily available and
where he is not endangering residents and the thousands of visitors at our state park.
Respectfully,
f
/C/A1� /, O' - '
Amy L. Does, Ph.D.
adoes2@frontier.com
503-537-8557
t http://www.ptleader.com/news/law_justice/stock-stolen-from-sea-change-cannabis/article_7ee5bbe8-f889-11 e6-
bf33-4b800cd58d04.html
2 haps://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/us/veterans-back-on-patrol-this-time-to-protect-marijuana.html?i=0
3 http://www.nbcnews.Com/storyline/legal-pot/high-crimes-robber-gangs-terrorize-Colorado-pot-shops-n20111
4 http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2016/12/authorities_investigating assa.html
cc:Patrick Hopper,Jefferson County Department of Community Development
Zc,-7
Amy L. Does, Ph.D.
8802 Flagler Rd.
Nordland, WA 98358
June 27, 2017
Stephen K. Causseaux
Jefferson County Hearing Examiner
902 South 10th Street
Tacoma, WA 98405
Re: Marijuana production facility proposed at 9272 Flagler Rd.,Nordland, WA
Jefferson County Case number: ZON17-00003 /BLD17-000093
Dear Mr. Causseaux:
I am worried that inadequate infrastructure is in place on Marrowstone Island to support the
marijuana production facility proposed at 9272 Flagler Rd. I am concerned that police and fire
response times to the site are inadequate, especially given the nature of the proposed business.
According to Table 3-1 in Chapt 18.15 of the Jefferson county code marijuana production
facilities on 10-acre rural residential plots require conditional use permits- C(d). Chapter
18.40.530 of the code, section lb, states that"The conditional use will be served by adequate
infrastructure including roads, fire protection,water,wastewater disposal, and stormwater
control." Certainly this includes adequate law enforcement.
At the March 20 Marrowstone Island Community Association meeting we heard presentations
from Jefferson County law enforcement and East Jefferson County Fire and Rescue.
Sheriff Stanko and the fire commissioner both voiced concerns that response times to
Marrowstone Island from either department could be 20-minutes or more after the first
911 call was received. Per Sheriff Stanko, the response time could be a full hour if
deputies were occupied elsewhere.
The odds are high that a break-in will occur at any marijuana facility.A local burglary on
February 15,2017 at Discovery Bay's Sea Change Cannabis is an example)According to an
article in the Sept. 8, 2016 New York Times, Denver is one of the few jurisdictions compiling data
on crimes at marijuana businesses. With 421 pot-growing houses and shops, Denver recorded
192 burglaries and thefts at such businesses in 2015.1 In a Feb 5, 2014 report,NBC News
estimated the annual robbery and burglary rate at marijuana businesses in Denver at
approximately 50 percent.2
The threat is not only robbery but violence. NBC News reported one dispensary incident where
two gunmen filled trash bags with marijuana as a third leapt over the counter and took a female
employee by the elbow, leading her around the shop as a"human insurance policy." In
California, in 2010, a gunman forced workers down on the ground,robbed their medical
marijuana dispensary, and returned moments later to shoot both in the back of their heads. 2
The violence extends to marijuana producers as well as dispensaries. On December 29, 2016 the
Portland Oregonian reported:
"four masked intruders severely beat and robbed a marijuana grower in Jackson County
(Oregon)...The assailants woke[grower]James Bowman in the early hours of Dec. 16,
broke his nose and left him with black eyes, county sheriff's officials said. They filled a
rented U-Haul truck with hundreds of pounds of harvested marijuana and took off...
Hours later, two of Bowman's workers discovered the 56-year-old, still tied up... Mr.
Bowman's site had been inspected and met his state's[security]requirements. "3
According to the Oregonian"Experienced marijuana growers in southern Oregon...say break-
ins,thefts, and robberies aren't a new threat."What set Bowman's case apart was the rapid
response of law enforcement. 3
On Marrowstone Island law enforcement would probably not be able to respond rapidly. Further,
the proposed marijuana facility is in a heavily wooded area 1/2 mile from a 780 acre state park
where violent individuals might easily evade police.
Siting a marijuana business on Marrowstone Island is a bad idea. Such businesses cannot be
hidden. The state publishes the addresses of marijuana producers online! Marijuana growing
operations, such as the one proposed for 9272 Flagler Rd., are designed to hold over$1.5 million
dollars of product at any given time.A black market for this product is alive and well. My
neighbors and I should not have to deal with the threat of violence that accompanies such a
business. We moved here seeking a peaceful and secure community. Please direct the applicant to
find an alternative location for his facility,where law enforcement is more readily available and
where he is not endangering residents and the thousands of visitors at our state park.
Respectfully,
f
/C/A1� /, O' - '
Amy L. Does, Ph.D.
adoes2@frontier.com
503-537-8557
t http://www.ptleader.com/news/law_justice/stock-stolen-from-sea-change-cannabis/article_7ee5bbe8-f889-11 e6-
bf33-4b800cd58d04.html
2 haps://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/us/veterans-back-on-patrol-this-time-to-protect-marijuana.html?i=0
3 http://www.nbcnews.Com/storyline/legal-pot/high-crimes-robber-gangs-terrorize-Colorado-pot-shops-n20111
4 http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2016/12/authorities_investigating assa.html
cc:Patrick Hopper,Jefferson County Department of Community Development