NEWS
B Y K E L LY K E N O Y E R
POT PETITION
Creswell’s One Gro seeks to repeal the town’s pot ban and create a local monopoly
n a small café just off I-5 that proprietors hope to convert
into a weed dispensary, a marijuana company’s leaders met
with a few citizens of Creswell last week in an attempt to
change hearts and minds — and a city ordinance — about
the pot industry.
One Gro is a marijuana company started by Mike Arnold,
the Eugene-based lawyer who briefly defended the Bundys after
their Malheur occupation last year and who recently left his law
practice to become a “gentleman hobbyist farmer” growing and
selling pot outside of Creswell.
Arnold and his CEO, Dan Isaacson, hope that One Gro will
soon have its flagship dispensary in Creswell — population 5,292.
The twist, however, is that Creswell citizens voted 1,280-1,152 in
November to ban weed dispensaries in town.
The company started up in February and recently filed an ini-
tiative petition to reverse the ban. “The reason we wrote the law
the way we did is so we could be the only dispensary in town,”
Isaacson says. “It won’t be like Eugene, where it’s stacked one on
top of another.”
Dave Stram, Creswell’s mayor, says, “My official position is
that the citizens made a decision eight months ago that they did
not want marijuana in this city.” The city is situated in the midst of
choice farmland and located right next to I-5 and near an airport.
Stram adds, “Creswell is a prime spot for this industry. I cer-
tainly can’t fault them for wanting to be here. My issue is why do
they want to be here when we already voted no.”
Isaacson often calls Creswell “our Cupertino,” after the Cali-
fornia headquarters of Apple. Arnold and his team want to set up
shop in Creswell as a national weed operation, selling products
like a weed inhaler for medical usage.
“We’re not looking to build a dispensary or to build a
cannabis company, we’re looking to build a cannabis em-
pire,” Isaacson says. “We bring traditional business into
pot and sell it in a way to not market it to potheads.”
Isaacson suggests that with a 3 percent tax on their shop,
the city could raise $160,000 in annual revenue. “We have
to have law enforcement, which means we’re shy about 100
grand,” he says.
Arnold proposed that the 3 percent tax the city might take
from his business venture could go towards hiring more sher-
iff’s deputies, who currently don’t patrol in the early morning
hours. “Anyone drive around here at 2 or 3 in the morning? This
place is sketchy,” he said.
Stram says he has run the numbers for what marijuana taxes
could bring to Creswell, and he thinks it’ll be more a trickle of
revenue than a stream. Similarly sized Veneta made $30,000 in
revenue off $1 million in marijuana sales, so even generously
doubling that profit to $2 million leaves Creswell with $60,000
in taxes.
“That doesn’t cover police officers,” Stram says. “I doubt that
a recreational dispensary in Creswell would bring many jobs here,
and when I go down to the shop, none of them live in Creswell.”
The tax wouldn’t be implemented until after the 2018 elec-
tion, when voters would, at least in theory, vote to tax marijuana
sales. If the petition passes in an election this fall, that tax would
automatically go on the 2018 ballot, but it would leave One Gro
operating tax-free for a year.
Isaacson says the company is committed to donating 3 percent
of its profits to a local nonprofit to show goodwill in the com-
munity. “There’s an outsider aspect to it, like why are you in our
community? I thought we [should] write the rule in such a way
that it gave them the opportunity to know that we’re stewards to
the community.”
Some in the community have raised concerns that an election
is quite expensive. Arnold responds that the city could pass the
legislation if it feels “the will of the people has been met.” He
adds, “But they won’t do that because most politicians are cow-
ards.”
Arnold says of the petition, “What we’re doing is coming
into town voluntarily, begging to give 3 percent of our gross pro-
ceeds to Creswell.”
Stram says the City Council decided that the marijuana issue
I
was so important it needed to be in the hands of the people, so the
council would leave it to the voters. “Creswellians are not happy
with their presence or them pushing their will upon the city,” he
says of One Gro, though he added that some likely are excited for
the opportunity to vote again.
The Friday, July 21, meeting at the NakD Bean café was un-
usual, as political meetings go. About 10 members of the One Gro
team attended, outnumbering members of the public.
“Creswell under this current administration gets to be known
as the city brought to you by not one but two dollar stores. Some-
thing to be proud of,” Arnold said sarcastically, referencing the
town's lack of grocery options. Creswell in fact only has one dol-
lar store, the other having closed.
One Gro, according to company representatives, will provide
a more upstanding dispensary experience for new users. On cur-
rent dispensaries, Arnold says, “The ones that didn’t feel dirty and
creepy were all about weed culture.” He adds, “What I envision is
a marijuana dispensary just like any other commercial outlet you
would see.”
A few Creswell citizens who attended the meeting were in fa-
vor of the petition, and most had signed it. Letxi Fordson said,
“I’m all in favor of it. It’ll bring an economy into the city.” Becky
Hess added, “I’ve got to go to Cottage Grove to get mine, may as
well have the taxes go here.”
The petition needs 512 signatures to get on the ballot. It was
filed at Creswell City Hall on Monday afternoon with 647 signa-
tures.
“I’ll be curious to see what happens in our little town in the
next four months and how worked up people could get over this,”
Mayor Stram says.
MIKE ARNOLD,
EUGENE-BASED
LAWYER
& ONE GRO
FOUNDER
• The West Coast affordable housing
shortage is raising rents and home sale
prices to record levels, which is good news
for property owners and investors, but is
distinctly bad news for low-income and
even moderate-income households
looking to rent or buy in Lane County. We
noticed Onward Oregon, the progressive
advocacy group, is getting into the housing
debate with its support of Oregon HB
2007A that would, among other things,
allow the development of “smaller, discrete
housing options of accessory dwelling
units (ADUs) and duplexes in single-family
zoned neighborhoods.” Eugene’s current
and antiquated building code, with a few
exceptions, allows duplexes only on very
large corner lots. We don’t know if this bill
will become statewide law, but the city of
Eugene has the power to go ahead with
such updates to its building codes.
• We’ve been tracking the two
cohousing projects in Eugene and both
are still giving tours, recruiting members
and developing plans. The newest project
is Eugene Downtown Cohousing on a
vacant lot on Lincoln Street between
Broadway and 10th Avenue. A meeting for
people interested in this adult, urban-style
community will be at 1 pm Sunday, July
30.
Call
541-344-5751
or
email ljseymour@gmail.com for the
location. The more rural Oakleigh Meadow
project along the Willamette River has
been delayed by appeals, but organizer
Will Dixon says the Eugene Planning
Commission “re-re-re-approved” the
project in June and “now it’s onward and
upward.” Call 541-514-1176 or email
wcd@willardcdixon.com.
• Community Lending Works is now
offering down payment assistance for
eligible homebuyers in Lane and
Benton counties. The nonprofit is in
partnership with Neighborhood
Economic Development Corporation
(NEDCO)
and
Willamette
Neighborhood Housing Services. The
Project Reinvest Down Payment
Assistance program offers $10,500
in assistance. Applicants must meet
qualifications
and
attend
workshops and consultations. See
nedcocdc.org/dpa/.
• Arriving By Bike at 2705
Willamette Street has been busy
this summer, sponsoring bike valet
parking at Art in the Vineyard and
participating in a free bike repair clinic at
BRING July 15. The business was also
involved in the Filmed By Bike Film Festival
and will be showing bikes at Kesey Square
July 30 for the Eugene Sunday Streets
event, according to owner Paul Moore. See
our story online for more on Sunday
Streets.
• HIV Alliance has moved into its new
facilities at 1195A City View Street. The
nonprofit had help from Essex General
Construction, Brothers Plumbing, Reynolds
Electric, Rubenstein’s Contract Carpet,
Hartness Drywall, Wildish Construction,
Forrest Paint, Oldfield’s Appliance and the
Long Tom Watershed Council.
• Obie Hospitality is the new division
of Obie Companies headed by former
Eugene mayor Brian Obie, owner of Fifth
Street Public Market and the adjacent
upscale Inn at the 5th. Obie recently
opened another upscale hotel in Boise and
says, “We plan to continue to build very
special boutique hotels in a variety of
Western U.S. communities.”
eugeneweekly.com • July 27, 2017
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