The Washington State Liquor — and Marijuana — Control Board has released the results of a lottery process that ranks candidates to be part of Seattle’s first wave of 21 legal cannabis retailers this summer. We’ve mapped the top 30 Seattle candidates below — including a shop that would be located closest to Capitol Hill. Mello Times came in at number 20 in the city putting it within the cutoff for Seattle’s first stores following the state’s pre-screening process.
UPDATE: Seattle attorney John Branch, who applied for the Mello Times retail permit, told CHS on Friday that he was excited for the opportunity, but didn’t want to go into details of his plan before he secured the retail permit. He said he picked the 24th and Union location because of its proximity to Capitol Hill.
“Capitol Hill is a great area,” he said. “It’s artistic, it’s young, and I thought there would be a lot of customers there.”
Branch, who said he wants to keep a lower profile than perhaps some other marijuana retailers will, said he was looking forward to joining the local business community and creating several jobs in the area.
“I don’t know why I got that Willy Wonka golden ticket,” he said. “I’m just very grateful.”
It lists an address where no building appears to currently exist near 24th and Union as its location. New construction is planned for the corner — but there is also construction underway near the Neighbor Lady and the former Med Mix that could be involved. CHS wrote here about the overlaying of various zoning and federal requirements that made the area around 23rd and Union a prime location for Capitol Hill-proximate marijuana retailing.
UPDATE: I screwed up on the location — it sounds like the venture is lining up to take over a commercially zoned house. Take it away reader Carolyn:
Isn’t 1410 24th the large green house next to (north of) the SHA housing at 2400 E. Union? It’s across 24th from the former Key Bank parking lot, and it used to have a breakfast restaurant on the first floor and the large porch.
The new construction is planned for the NW (Key Bank) corner and the SE (Fatima Café) corner, not the NE (SHA) corner.
The lottery winners must now pass through extended criminal background and financial evaluation by the state before license are issued. The goal, state officials say, is for the first Washington pot licenses to be handed out in July.
CHS pot notes
- Thanks to High Above Seattle for the map icon!
- Delivery ban: The Capitol Hill-focused early wave of pot entrepreneurs providing marijuana delivery are probably not long for the gray market. Washington is likely to ban delivery of marijuana:
The law already says customers can’t consume the drug in the store or any other public place. Proposed rule changes presented to the board Wednesday and likely to be approved at a future meeting say retailers can’t sell over the Internet and can’t deliver to customers. Buyers will have to come to the store in person, where the staff must make sure they are 21 or older and not buying more at one time than the law allows.
- Plants in the ground: Seattle marijuana farmers are readying their first crop for retail sales.
Cannabis Freedom March: There’s not much left to fight for — home grown? medicinal pot? — but there’s plenty to celebrate. The Cannabis Freedom March returns to Volunteer Park again in 2014:
5/10/14 11 AM — Starting at Volunteer Park in the front grass pavilion, live music by local artists and speakers from all walks of the activist community set the tone for the rally.
After speakers and music conclude here, we walk through the streets from Capitol Hill all the way Downtown Seattle to Westlake Park, for even MORE music and speakers.
So Please come and join us as we come together and remember those victims of the drug war that cannot be marching with us, and pushing forward and preserving our rights for years to come! Show your support in ending the Federal Drug War and March for your Freedom!
- Seattle Central “grow” — Police were called to Broadway and Pine’s Seattle Central Wednesday morning after security reported “numerous marijuana plants” at the Capitol Hill school. The small potted plants were found on the school campus sitting in a box — and apparently caused a bit of a stir with students as they were hauled out by police. SPD is investigating.
Wow, nothing on the hill, Udistrict, Columbia City, or Rainier? Seems like a great way to ensue the continuation of the black market & encourage DUI’s.
The Legalize It law bars a retail MJ store from opening within 1000 feet of any elementary or secondary school, playground, recreation center or facility, child care center, public park, public transit center, library, or game arcade that allows minors to enter. The result is very few areas in Seattle that can actually host an MJ store given how dense we are and thus we don’t have many spaces that aren’t within 1000 feet of any of those things.
The areas that avoided the issue were in the industrial areas of SoDo (not a lot of parks, schools, etc. down there), some areas way in the north part of the city in the commercial areas near Aurora Ave, some sparse areas in Delridge, and….a small bulls-eye zone smack dab in the Central Area around 23rd and Union.
I understand the (current) legal zoning restrictions – I’m just noting that they might possibly be a bit too restrictive if the major population centers are under served. Also, what is going to happen around these areas? Is this going to make them undesirable for future, non-weed related development? Is Seattle going to have red-light* districts?
*wasn’t sure how to refer to them… Grow-light districts? Bud-light districts?
I think all of south King County is the “bud light district” already
Yay, 3 blocks away!
I don’t believe the “at large” OR all of the “at large” locations are on the map. Potentially 3 locations just south of Rainier Beach
I predict that the black market, including delivery, will be alive and well long into the future. Seattle leads the way, but the state is falling way behind.
If CO is anything to go by, it’s going to be (understandably) overpriced to meet demand so why would any locals use stores? Some sort of guarantee that it’s locally sourced might sway me but otherwise there’s really no reason to stop buying from whoever you were before.
Fun to see the lottery news, but there’s a lot left to shake out. Seems like we’re all just making it up as we go. I would challenge DG’s comment though. The state is going to have a lot of incentives to tighten up the market fast- not least of which is that illegal dealers will be cutting into State Revenues.
Questions:
Wasn’t the council considering quotas for certain areas to avoid too many shops in any neighborhood? Who has rights to that 2310 E. Union Street address now that none of the applicants listing that address have secured a license?
I’m really surprised that the pot delivery businesses are being tolerated. They are clearly acting illegally, and are no different than a corner drug dealer.
Delivery service is like a corner drug dealer? Seriously? The biggest corner drug dealers are the ubiquitous mimi-marts selling cigarettes, cheep alcohol and diabetes-causing junk-food. A trinity of death-dealing products. These present greater danger to our youth and the community than any cannabis delivery service, dispensary or retail cannabis store.
Yes, seriously. At this time, and once the retail stores open, it is illegal to sell pot outside of the retail system (including medical marijuana shops)……just as it is illegal for the corner drug dealer to sell.
I agree with you about the mini-mart products you mention, but they are sold legally. You are comparing apples to oranges.
Hopefully they loosen up on that 1000 foot rule very quickly after the first round of stores open up, especially for producers.
[…] Put a stamp on it: Capitol Hill residents will be happy to know that they’ll get to keep their other post office on 23rd Ave E and E Union St. And after you send that love note, you might just be able to walk next door and grab a bag of weed. […]
[…] People want to eat pot. They’ll be able to buy it at 23rd and Union. […]
[…] wave of recreational pot stores are slated to open this summer with a project known as Mello Times topping the state’s lottery list for the coveted intersection of 23rd and […]