Hundreds of concerned Redmond Ridge residents attended the July 25 meeting regarding existing county land-use regulations concerning the growth, processing and retail sale of marijuana. This was perhaps the most attended meeting in the history of King County Council and speaks volumes about the determination of the community to make sure their voice is heard and council does the right thing and does not make rushed decisions. Our community advocacy triumphed and we provided over 80 testimonies against the proposed amendments. We also submitted a petition which was signed by more than 1,600 concerned residents. This petition was authored by Vinod Sharma.

As an owner of a woman-owned Real Estate Investment Services, I think this thoughtless proposal would have lead to flight of good businesses and jobs from Redmond Ridge. This would have also eroded property values in the area. This proposal also puts the voter approved new middle school in jeopardy. I am not sure why would council even consider such a zero sum proposal which is against hard-working families and small businesses?

I would like to take this opportunity to ask King County Council, why does King County has a pending application for almost three years for marijuana production and processing in Redmond Ridge Business Park, when this operation is not legally allowed in urban reserve?

King County should look into this and cancel this application immediately.

Jo Dixit

Redmond