BEND, OR -- A Tumalo property owner wants to open a retail marijuana shop on 8th Street in the Tumalo Commercial District, near Highway 20 and Cook Avenue. A hearings officer approved the initial application. County Commissioners were scheduled to make a final decision on the proposal during a special meeting, Friday. But, Community Development Director Nick Lelack, says they were forced to postpone, "We received an appeal from a neighboring property owner, so the Board of Commissioners first discussed the appeal and agreed to hear that appeal." He tells KBND News, "They reviewed the records from the hearings officer, and wanted to continue the public process regarding this application, recognizing there are a lot of interested parties, and complex issues, and a very prominent location in Deschutes County."

The appeal states that the store shouldn't be allowed on several grounds: marijuana is illegal on the federal level, there's both a school and a park inside the setback limits, and a conflict over access. Lelack says a public meeting will be held in early March, "Because the board agreed to hear this appeal, what's called 'de novo' - which means it's an open, public hearing - any issue can be raised on appeal, in this case."