The Woodland City Council voted 4–2 with one member excused on Jan. 21 to approve the first reading of an ordinance that would allow retail cannabis sales in the city’s C-2 Highway Commercial zone, a key step toward effectively legalizing marijuana retail within city limits.
The vote followed a lengthy public hearing and capped off years of debate over whether and how Woodland should permit cannabis retail. While the action does not authorize any specific business or location, it amends zoning rules to permit retail marijuana as a use in C-2 zones. A second and final reading is scheduled for Feb. 2 at 7 p.m
The first reading came after a Jan. 5 council workshop on the proposed zoning change. Proposals forwarded by the Woodland Planning Commission failed multiple times throughout 2023 and 2024, and an advisory vote on Jan. 2, 2024, did not pass. The makeup of the council shifted following the November 2025 general election, with newly seated councilors Brittny Michaelson and Jennifer De Luz both expressing support for allowing retail cannabis.
Chris Crew, who stated he holds a state license to sell cannabis, spoke during public testimony. Interested in opening a new cannabis shop in the city, he described the ordinance as a reasonable approach and encouraged the council to approve retail cannabis sales.
Max Bondar, while not opposing marijuana retail outright, urged the city to adopt additional safeguards to address compatibility with nearby neighborhoods.
“I’m not opposed to retail marijuana as a use,” Bondar said. “I’m not advocating for or against any specific applicant.”
Bondar went on to argue that allowing retail marijuana throughout the C-2 zone should be paired with clearer standards related to residential separation, spacing between other cannabis retailers, and buffering to reduce potential impacts.
Woodland Community Development Director Travis Goddard responded that some of the suggested measures were already addressed by existing site plan and landscaping standards, and that others might be more appropriate at the county level, given Woodland’s compact, urban layout.
Eric Summers said he opposed allowing cannabis retail in the city, citing concerns tied to a former marijuana shop location.
“I do not, would not like to see it,” Summers said. “So I just came here to voice my opinion and let you know how I stand.”
After public comment closed, council discussion turned to whether the issue should instead be put to a vote of the people. Councilors Douglas Freimarck and Melissa Doughty both raised that idea, though neither made a formal motion to amend the agenda. Doughty noted she has consistently supported a ballot measure on the issue. On Jan 2 2024, Freimarck and the majority of council members at that time voted to oppose an advisory ballot.
“I still feel very strongly that this needs to be taken to a vote to the citizens and on a ballot rather than us as individuals on council doing it to our own agenda,” Doughty said. “Why not use some of the money we collected to actually let the citizens have a voice and not us?”
Councilor Jennifer De Luz urged the council to proceed with the vote already before them. The council then approved the first reading by a 4–2 vote, with one councilor excused.
If adopted at the second reading, the ordinance would formally allow retail cannabis businesses to operate in Woodland’s C-2 Highway Commercial zone, subject to existing regulations and future licensing decisions.
