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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEXHIBIT_051trnsf CarolGonnella 120 Beach Drive Nordland, WA 98358 Mr. Stephen Causseaux, Jr Hearing Examiner 62l Sheridan Port Townsend, WA98368 RE: Application of Mr. Tracy Williamson M LA 18-000102-ZON 18-00039 Dear Mr. Causseaux I am addressing the requirement in JCC 18.40.530, Approval Criteria for all Conditional Uses, which states in pertinent part: (c) The conditional use will not be materially detrimental to uses or property in the vicinity of the subject parcel. There is little evidence whether surrounding properties of a marijuana industrial facility are adversely affected by a decrease in value because the legalization of marijuana is relatively recent. There is not a lot of history. It was disappointing to read in the Department of Community Development Staff Report's that: "The County's conditional use approval criteria does not expressly take impacts to nearby property values into consideration." ln my humble opinion, that is exactly what the County is supposed to do in reaching a determination to the criteria (c), addressed above. However, the County does cite two articles, one called "Marijuana and Real Estate, A Budding lssue", tt-20- 18, produced bythe NationalAssociation of Realtors (staffreport Exhibit 30, and "How Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Affects Home Values" (staff report Exhibit 28). I ask that the Examiner read these articles, as neither addresses the issue of the decrease in values of surrounding homes. The first only addresses property values commercial properties, not residential properties. The latter emphasizes only dispensaries of marijuana and not grow/processi ng ope rations. I am attaching as an Exhibit an article by Hudson Sangree of Real Estate News dated 9-L7-L7 titled "lf a Marijuana Grow Warehouse Opens Nearby, Will Your Home Values Suffer". Exhibit A attached hereto. This article states: Reporting on the effects of pot legislation on Colorado home prices, Realtor.com said "homes within a half-mile of a marijuana business have lower property value than homes in the same county that are farther out" and that "neighborhoods with grow houses are the least desirable, with an 8.4 percent discount". Although the documented evidence is scarce, there is antidotal evidence of a decrease in property values. You have previously presided over a similar application for a grow facility on Marrowstone lsland. You received a letter in your materials for review dated June 25, 2017, addressed to Mr. Hopperof the DCD byAlan Gustafson, whose mother owned property adjacent to the southern boundary of the proposed site of the grow facility. Mrs. Gustafson had an interested buyer untilthe buyer learned that a marijuana facility may be their neighbor. They backed away, saying they did not want to livenexttosuchafacility. Afterthehearing,thecloseofappealwindow,andafterthe applicant removed the green house structure that was to be used to grow marijuana, the property sold close to the asking price within weeks. It is just common sense that we do not want a smelly, noisy marijuana facility amongst our homes where we sit outside, garden, enjoy nature. No one wants that. Ourvery devoted County Commissioner, Greg Brotherton, on June t7,20L9 stated in a County Commissione/s meeting that he would not want a marijuana facility next to his house. The hearing examiner saw approximately 150 people come to the hearing on the Marrowstone application, all of whom stated they did not want a facility close to their homes. Today, you have many people from Coyle who have addressed you that they do not want a facility in their neighborhoods. I would not buy a piece of residential property next to a facility regardless of how low the price was. And I ask you: Would you want to live next to a marijuana facility? This criteria of property devaluation has not been satisfied by the staff report of the DCD. As JCC 18.40.530 states, in instances where all the findings cannot be made, the application shall be denied. Thus, this application should be denied. Re lly su on REAI ESTATE NE\^6 If a marijuana grow warehouse opens nearby, will your home value suffer? {rQ c,+irculs ture id$rtifhd a va{ant parcel next to St. Paul (hurch o' God in Chr.!{ in ftsrth 5*ramento for i canp of sleepirg cabins fot the honxles:. Dtorx video showsthe locfrion on Grove Avenue on Friday.Seb, l;l ?0?O. er&$OHI!t$,tB ! lsmete6s re$dents Ur$Whtabout Tour this rare Lopez Ishnd property on the market for $,t.9 million ,fa, City officials have identi{ied a vacant parcel n€xt to St, Pird Churah et God in Chrtst in North Sacrarnento for a camp of s}eepnng cabins f or the honrcless. Dron€ video stnrvs the location on Grove Avenue on Friday. Feb- 14 2020. B\ .U\ysoil olfsrEn a Dozens of large-scale pot growers a-re hoping to reap profits in the city of Sacramento soon, but their gains may mean losses for neighboring homeovvners. The value of homes close to legal cannabis-growing operatioris could sufer, and sellers may have to disclose to would-be buyers the preseoce ofcannabis cultivation sites in their neighborhoods, some experts contend. Right now, the real estate situation is murkn with litth direction from govemments ortrade organizations. €xhib;l- 'Rhttps://www, sacbee.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article173621656.html ) Page 1 ol 8 0Y!$psol. s.l$GBEE ..irf[:r.![10"] ;,.', ,i. . r1 il r I Harriel's big night powers Antelopeto section final at Golden l Center "This is a can of worms that is going to take us two to three yeare to figureout," said steve Galster, areal estate broker with The Galster Group of weichert Realtors in Fair oaks. I.,ocal News at your Fingertips 6et urdimited digitalaccess for justg3.99 a,nonthto #R€BdLod anytinre, ur anydarke- The commercial production and the sale of recreational marijuana will be allowed in California starting ]an' r, and the city of sacramento -with its ample supply of cheap industrial realestate and.proximity to the san Francisco Bay Area - is a prime market for the so-called ..green rush, of businesses eager to profit from growing legal weed indoors. More than roo businesses were :.*.,_:., .., ..,,*,.t- .*.. _,;, from the city to run indoor marijuana growing operations as of July. (lf the city approved them al! there would be more tegal mariiuanagrowers in Sacramento than McDooald's and Starbucks combined-) Many ofthe proposed locations are far from housing, uotably in the industrial section of the city east ofPower Ino Road and ssuth offaclson Road But about one.third ofthe sites are in neighborhoods - including North sacramento, curtis Park and South Land park - and close enough to houses to potentially cause headaches for homeowners and homebuyers. lnteractive rn&A SEI lOB AFPL|{A-TISN5 T9- lAL por FttED EARL Regulations call for pot gtowers to implement odor-ootrol and security measuret, but nfi*tr", thenewruIes will control thepungeat smellofmarijuana orprerent crirae remains to beseen. A look at the glass'warerfall'ficade ofnewest S.F. aparftreff tower VIEWMORE VTDEO + Update Sacramento State professor escorted ourof hcnre hall says he's onpersonalleave Those whotest positive for coronavirus at Travis AFB told rhey nrustgo. Butwhere? , . rii :n. , .: t.:.,- - , t: P_reppoll Vote f<rrTheBee's prep of thetffeek ' -: Union fu nding'smear campaign. agaltut lst openly-gay Councilman in Sacramento. rrnyor sa)s MARUNSPITC}IERJOSE FERNANDEZTALKSABOLTT TAMPA BAYRATS GATdE IN CUBA EH Historic Folsorn pizza restaurant glosn_U, BBQ spor wirh whiskey heary bar taling its places ttps://www.sacbaa.6om/nowelbuslnesr/rcal-.stats_news/article173621B6B.html PsgG 2 of I #El llfrd tl!r-- t "lf itdid end up being a problemwithcrime ora stigma associated withthe cultivation of cannabis, ' that could be an issue," Lundquist said. "Or if it rcally smelled that could be something people don'twant to live next to." Lundquist was recently asked to estimate the value of a house in the city's Hagginwood neighborhood. The home is in an area where small, older homes sit across a nee-lined street from a tire shop, a metal-products manufacturer and other businesses that occupy light-industrial buildings made of concrere and corrugated metal. Lundquist discovered that three mariiuana growers had filed applications wirh the city to occupy several of the industrial structures. In his is;,, ,;i.,,:,._--l::.:;::-! t_::, Lundguist said he had to ask himsetfwhether thepot-growing operations could diminish the value of neighboring homes. "Does it matter forvalue if there are a few legal mariiuana grow operations in the neighborhood? That's not really a question we asked much in the pasg but it's definitely a reality in many portions of California now since recreational mariiuana was approved at the ballots last yearr" t undquist wrote. The appraiser said he chose only to disclorc hic knowledge of the cannabis cultivation permits but not to use it a6 a factor in his estimate of the Hagginwood home's value. other real estate professionals will have to decide ifnearby pot businesses need to be disctosed when a house goes on the mafket, he said. "That's something the real estate community has to grapptewith, and not everyone will have the same answer, but asking the questions is very, very inryortantr" he said. Reporting on the effects ofpot legalization oa Coloiradohomeprices, Realtor.corn said, "homes within a half-mile of a marijuana business often harae lowerproperty value than homes in the same county that are farther out" and that *neighborhmds with grow houses are the least desirable, with an 8-4percent price discount." Neither the Califomia Association of Realtor$ nor th€secramerto Association of Itealtors has taken an official posirion on the disclosure iesue, spokespeople forthe organizatiooE said. In a legal question-and-answer paper, CAR did recomrnend to ag€nt$ that they disclose mariiuana growing on properties next door to listings because mariiuana cultivation still violates federal law, and "the buyer may have concerns or may wish to investigate ifthe activity is being lawfully or unlawfully done." Galster said he thinks the issue of whether to disclose a marijuana operation is a no-brainer. "lf you even have to talk about should sornething get disclosed, it ought to get disclosed," he said. The brokercompared the pot situation to the Megan's Law notice that homebuyers receive. It tells them there's a state database showing where registered sex offenders live, but it doesn't require sellers or agents to disclose that sex offenders live nearby. Homebuyers have to do theirown research on the Megan's Law database, and they may also have to do their own due diligence with regard to pot businesses, Galster said. "Sex offenders are in every neighborhood," he said, "and mariluana will be too, I guess,b rttps://www.sacbee.comlnewslbusiness/real-estate-news/article17362i 656.html Page 3 of I A To: Mr. Pat Hopper Department of Comrnunlty Development 62l Sherldan Street Port Townsend, Wash. 98358 Mr. Hopper, I am writing you concerning the proposed marijuana growing facility that the Jefferson County Dept. of Community Development, County zoning commission, and the Jefferson County Commissioners are looking at for the possibllity of permitting such an enterprise to take hold of, there on Marrowstone lsland, in Jefferson County. I am the oldest son of, Hettie Jean Gustafson, owner of the property that shares a boundary with the proposed facility. I am also her Durable Power of Attorney. You should know that my mother, an upstanding senior citizen of this state, is very upset about this possibility as the proposed facility is located right next to her property on Fort Flagler Road and her property is already belng negatively affected by this proposal. At the time of this writing we have learned that she has recently lost the possibility of a sale of her property when a prospective buyer found out about the grow operation and pulled out of making an offer on her property. lt has also come to our attention that some representatives of the operation have been making statements to the affect that the property that ls owned by my mother is timbered and creates a needed natural buffer for an operation such as this. The problem here, is that it is not going to be true as the family has contacted several logging firms for estimates to log the property. This would, as a result, take away the "natural" buffer that is being claimed as needed and remaining there to help that project. This is something that the commissioners should be made aware of. r She has asked me contact the appropriate agencies and representatives to voice her grave concerns for her property, investment, lively hood, and financial source of money to provide safe and secure room and board for her life at the assistant living facility that she now resides at. This proposal is very ill conceived in the relation that it does not have any concern for the citizens of Marrowstone lsland or the citizens of Jefferson County. This proposal from the owner/investor of the operation has only one concern and that is of its financial success, no matter how lt is accomplished or who it negatively impacts or hurts. Mr. Hopper, there is even a much blgger area of concern for the rcridents of Marrowstone lsland and the residents and citizens of Jefferson County. This concern h tfie fact that the citizens and the representatives of Jefferson County have a great treasure, a greatfewal in their possesslon that is so rare and so valuable that lt should be guarded with great care and honor. Thls treasure ls the one thing that very few counties or cltles can claim as their own. lt ls a beautlful lsland with a rich and historlc past. One that cannot ever be duplicated. The sad story here Is that someone or several people that AhibiL'B \ ttcYE ttaE.sJrswt , cast it away like lt had no value. The romance, beauty, intrigue, and pride that ls intertwined in this wonderful oasis with in Jefferson County, could be forever lost, never to return if this proposal of a Marljuana Operation is allowed to go foruvard. Many of these residents, cltizens, and owners of Marrowstone lsland have lived there for generatlons. They are a very proud and unlque people that regard this island as a paradise and often look to hand it down to thelr children. These people are the guardians of the past, present and future of thelr lsland and are very proud of its place in hastory and do not want to see it sold out to the highest bidder or for a favor. lt is important that everyone reallze that this proposed industrial grow operation could be put in any of a thousand dlfferent locations other than Marrowstone lsland. l, like so many others, believe that the reason that the investors and owner picked this place is because they vlewed the occupants of the island as being push overs and they could push things thru without opposition. I am sure that you are finding that this is very far from the truth. tn reviewing this sltuation, I believe that the County governmenl county planning and zoning commlssion, and the Department of Community Development has a great and hlstorlc opportunity to stand up and not let big money and big business control the game and get what they want at any cost to the wonderful citizens of Jefferson County. From this point forward, history for the lsland will either remain rich and a treasure, and something to pass down to all of our children and the visltors and guests that come there or it will be forever changed and become Just another trophy ln someone's book and wallet. ln closlng, I wish all those of Marrowstone lsland and lefferson County a bright future and those with the burden of havlng to wrestle with and make these decisions the strength to decide carefully and wisely with their cttizens and the law in equal balance for the best interest of all. Thank you, Respectfully, Alan Gustafson