PULLMAN - A proposal for Whitman County's sixth retail marijuana store faces a rigorous vetting process from the city of Pullman, and before NSK Cannabis LLC can open its doors, it has to meet city standards first.

A site plan by the city regarding the business' proposed location - on the corner of Grand Avenue and Stadium Way, right across the street from Dissmore's IGA - revealed a number of deficiencies in the building.

Pullman Planning Director Pete Dickinson said in order for the marijuana retailer to be a go, both driveways to the property need to show accessible routes of travel; a private walkway needs to be installed from the sidewalk to the building; the height of each entry stair to the business needs to be listed; and the city has to see a full boundary of the property.

"They are proposing some of the parking spaces at the car wash (next to the site), and it's unclear if they will have permission for backing maneuvers for parking spaces," Dickinson said.

He said until the boundaries of the property are submitted to the city, it's unknown if the business owner has access to that car wash space.

The city has issued a permit for demolition at the site. That demolition and some renovation at the old hair salon is currently taking place.

However, there could be additional hoops on the horizon for the potential marijuana retailer.

Dickinson said it's unclear whether the building rests in the floodplain, which could significantly increase the amount of work required at the site.

If the structure is found to be in the floodplain, Dickinson said, the building would either need to be elevated by 1 foot or undergo extensive flood-proofing.

"They are still checking to see if a portion or all the building is in the floodplain," he said. "The ball is in their court at this point."

Dickinson said he's never known of a floodplain issue to be "make or break" for a business, but it could significantly drive up the project's costs.

If the owner does correct the deficiencies detected by the city, Dickinson estimates it could be one or two months before the business has permission to move forward with construction.

"It varies widely," he said. "Sometimes they take over a year."

Dickinson said he's heard neutral and negative opinions on the proposed retail store. He said the breakdown is about 75 percent neutral and 25 percent opposed.

"They don't like the location because it's too congested in that area," he said. "There's not enough room for traffic. There's concern about the effect on children who may walk through the intersection," he said. "But if it's permitted by code, we're obligated to issue a permit."

Excluding NSK Cannabis, there is one other marijuana retailer allocated to the city of Pullman. Dickinson said that retailer has a "placeholder" location at a grain elevator on the 300 block of Northeast Stadium Way, but he believes they are searching for a different site.

The other three stores in Pullman city limits are bunched together on the 1300 block of Southeast Bishop Boulevard. Initially, that area was among the only sites in the city where marijuana stores could locate and still meet state rules that limited how close they could be to places such as schools and parks.

With the two marijuana stores along State Route 270, Whitman County has maxed out its state allocation for retailers.

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Babcock may be contacted at jbabcock@lmtribune.com or at (509) 339-3423.