JULY 15, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9
GREEN,
continued from Page A1
Keizer's are more restrictive.
“For example, it looks like
the Oregon Health Authority
requires a 1,000 foot
separation for dispensaries,
but that same language hasn't
been carried over to retail
businesses,” Witham said.
The Keizer city council
chose to apply a 1,000-foot
separation requirement to
retail marijuana businesses,
but now stands the chance
of becoming the “bad
guy” when dealing with
prospective owners – and
running the risk of being
labeled anti-business.
With three shops already
establishing themselves south
of Dearborn Avenue, and
interest high in one other
River Road location plus an
additional one on Cherry
Avenue Northeast, a “Green
Mile” isn't out of the realm
of possibility.
“I don't think it will be
as bad as every 1,000 feet, I
don't think it will be quite
that dense, but it's uncertain,”
Witham said.
Adding to frustrations at
the city is that the businesses
already established have done
so as dispensaries for medical
marijuana because the state
hasn't even begun issuing
retail sales licenses. Once
those licenses start rolling
out, and dispensaries start
converting to retail sales or
co-locating, they might be
subject to different sets of
rules as far as state agencies is
concerned.
For the time being, the
dispensaries are able to offer
recreational sales, but will
need recreational licenses
come October.
“And we don't even know
what that process is going to
look like at the state level,”
said Witham. “We think we'll
just have to process another
license, but that's not a given.
On top of that, our current
ordinances
don't
allow
medicinal sales at a retail site.”
There are also questions
about what state regulators
will do if to help penalize
pot shops found out of
compliance
with
local
ordinances.
“Will they revoke their
licenses, or threaten to revoke
them? We just don't know
at this point,” Witham said.
Standard practice it to let
the agency with the more
restrictive rules handle the
enforcement.
The heart of the matter
is the city's planning
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department keeps running
into questions without easily
accessible answers and the
bull's eye keeps shifting. A
new draft of state rules was
issued in June with more
changes expected.
“Literally, every time
someone comes in with
question that's regarding
state rules in confl ict with
Keizer rules we end up in
another meeting. It's not
even the volume of shops, it's
“It’s the
nuance of the
questions and
fi nding a new
(state) rule
change every
time we turn
around.”
— Shane Witham
Keizer associate planner
the nuance of the questions
and fi nding a new (state)
rule change every time we
turn around,” Witham said.
Questions about retailers and
dispensaries are only part
of the uptick in inquiries.
Several residents with grow
operations for medicinal
marijuana sales are now
registering, or attempting to
register, for recreational sales.
“Legalization
created
whole new categories for
growers, producers, retailers,
dispensaries,
processors
and wholesalers,” said Nate
Brown, Keizer's community
development director, whose
face is the defi nition of
beleaguered when discussing
the issues swirling around
the regulating the marijuana
trade in Keizer.
All of that isn't to say
there aren't moments of
levity. When one prospective
business owner was trying
to lock in his place in the
queue for setting up shop, he
paid the $2,000 fee in small
bills. It left city employees
scrambling to fi gure out how
to receive it, and then how to
refund it when it turned out
the man hadn't received his
state permit.
Brown said it's diffi cult to
call upon past experiences
dealing with medicinal sales
when tackling questions
related to the recreational
sales.
“When medicinal usage
was legalized, we assembled
a task force of those who
supported
it's
passage
and those on the more
conservative end of the
spectrum. They came up with
some good compromises,
but it was easier when
you were dealing with
marijuana to help someone
through cancer treatments,”
Brown said. “The landscape
has shifted now, and the
primary stakeholders are
businesspeople with a profi t
motive.”
The fi rst step in alleviating
some of the headaches would
be for the state to lock down
its rules, but Brown said that
doesn't appear to be coming
anytime soon.
In the meantime, Brown
said city staff are trying
to provide city councilors
with the best and most up-
to-date information, and
bring forward changes when
warranted.
“Keizer is a conservative
community and the policy
makers are charged with
representing them. That
means a mandate to guard
that community's identity
and respond to these issues the
way they feel the community
would want them to,” Brown
said. “Regardless of how
much political pressure is
happening at the state level,
we have to give a lot of
deference to our city council
to craft rules that refl ect
community values.”
obituaries
Submit an obituary through our website at keizertimes.com
or send an email to: editor@keizertimes.com
James F. Potter
May 12, 1936 – June 6, 2016
Jim Potter was born in Van-
couver, Wash. He was in Ko-
rea after the war from 1953
to 1956. He lived and worked
in Washington, Oregon, Cali-
fornia and settled in Keizer.
He worked at Truax Tires for
many years. He was in the PT
Cruiser Club, and participated
in many parades in surround-
ing cities. Jim was also a 45
year member of the Wood-
burn and Keiz-
er Eagles.
He leaves
his daughter
Trudy, brother
Jerry, compan-
ion Laura, and
many friends.
J. Potter
A celebra-
tion of life will
be held at the Keizer Elks on
July 24 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Mary Jane Comer
April 6, 1920 – June 17, 2016
Mary Jane Comer, 96, was
born on April 6, 1920 in Sa-
lem, Ore., to George and
Nettie Anderegg. She passed
on June 17, 2016 of natural
causes at Sa-
lem Hospital.
Mary Jane
graduated
from
Salem
High School
in 1938, a
brand
new
building at that time, now
known as North Salem High
School. She graduated from
secretarial school after high
school. She married Harold
R. Comer in 1946.
Harold passed away in
1983. She never remarried.
Mary Jane lived her entire life
in Keizer and remained in the
home she and Harold built in
1957.
She enjoyed her home,
neighbors and family, garden-
ing and was a successful an-
tique and collectibles dealer
at local fl ea markets for years.
Mary Jane is preceded in
death by her husband, her
parents, her brother, Willard
I. Anderegg, and her niece,
Nanci A. Gogle. She is sur-
vived by nieces Lynn Max-
well, Sue Mooers, Karen Van
Meter, Billie Knapp and her
nephew, Richard (Mike) Hill,
as well as many great and
g reat-g reat
nieces
and
nephews.
A funeral
service
was
held Saturday,
July 9, at Vir-
gil T. Golden
M. Comer
Funeral Ser-
vice. Private
entombment was at Belcrest
Mausoleum.
ROBBER,
continued from Page A1
occurred in Salem.
Goodman conducted a
traffi c stop in the 4900 block
of River Road North and
made contact with the driver
who was taken into custody.
Earl Creemedicine, 32, of
Stanwood, Wash., was arrested
and charged with two counts
of fi rst degree robbery in con-
nection with the One Stop
Smoke Shop. He was also
charged with two counts of
unlawful use of a weapon, one
count of second degree theft
and one count of menacing.
He was lodged at Marion
County Correctional Facil-
ity where he was being held
without bail at press time. First
degree robbery is a Measure
11 crime in Oregon and, if
convicted, the minimum sen-
tence is seven years and six
months in prison.
Although Creemedicine’s
permanent address is in Wash-
ington, investigators deter-
mined he resides in Keizer
from time to time.
KPD is sharing informa-
tion with regard to Creemedi-
cine’s arrest with investiga-
tors from the Salem Police
Department. Anyone having
additional information about
either of these incidents are
asked to contact Phelps at
503-390-3713, ext. 3497.
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