BY PETER O’CAIN, Staff Reporter

Potential cannabis retailers seeking a store in Ellensburg will have to wait a couple more months before applying for licenses while the City of Ellensburg figures out where businesses are allowed to be located.

The City Council voted unanimously to delay accepting applications and issuing licenses for recreational marijuana distribution until Jan. 31, 2014.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board will begin accepting application for producers, processors and retailers Nov. 18.

Ellensburg City Manager Ted Barkley told student reporters on Tuesday that the moratorium will not delay the arrival of cannabis retailers in the long run.

“The state’s licensing process will take more time than the city’s process of figuring out where to put the zoning,” Barkley said.

The emergency moratorium was put in place to give City Council members and city planners more time to develop zones where marijuana businesses could be placed.

Last fall, 55.7 percent of Washington voters passed Initiative 502 which legalized production, sales and recreational use of marijuana.

Under Washington state law, marijuana shops cannot be located within 1,000 feet of schools, recreation centers, state licensed child care centers, parks, public transit centers, libraries and game centers where people under 21 years old are allowed.

Kittitas County residents voted down I-502 with 51.6 percent of the 18,066 votes.

Under Ellensburg law, businesses are not allowed in residential areas.

This essentially leaves a few small pockets in town and areas near Interstate 90, according to a draft map created by the city planning committee.

Several council members expressed concern about the potential location of marijuana businesses.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) will not look at city zoning, but will instead look at whether a prospective business is in the 1,000 foot exclusion zone, said Terry Weiner, city attorney.

The city is also rewriting its Land Development Code (LDC), which could affect zoning regulations. The City Council will likely vote on a new LDC in December, according to the meeting’s agenda.

“Is the city under obligation to allow businesses to set up shop?” Councilwoman Jill Scheffer said. “Or can we say no?”

Business owners must have their permits approved by the WSLCB before applying for license in Ellensburg, Weiner said.

The two-pronged nature of the process means licenses won’t be issued until sometime in 2014, he said.

WSLCB has mandated the number of potential retailers in Kittitas County to four businesses, two of which could be located within city limits.

The application process will begin on Nov. 18.

Councilwoman Mary Morgan suggested, in the context of marijuana potentially being a tax revenue generator, locating pot businesses near the freeway where there may be a large customer base.

“[Commercial tourism] zone looks ideal because it’s close to the freeway,” Morgan said. “They’re on their way to the Gorge.”