Oregon growers vie for prime real estate in preparation for recreational market
As Oregon awaits regulations from the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission in regards to cannabis cultivation and recreational
sales, people are chomping at the bit in order to get good real estate to g
s Oregon awaits regulations from the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission in regards to cannabis cultivation and recreational
sales, people are chomping at the bit in order to get good real estate to get
in early on the market. Real estate agents say growers are paying well
above market price to lease buildings, particularly in the Portland area, hoping
to reserve space until the rules and regulations are finalized and dispersed.
Sinking tens of thousands of dollars into large-scale
operations, local growers are planning far ahead. After all, the Oregon Liquor
Control Commission hasn’t even begun to consider qualifications, rules and
requirements for recreational cannabis producers.
The Oregonian’s analysis of 2014 state grow site data identified 64
large-scale medical cannabis grow sites in the Portland area, and a 178 percent
increase since 2012. Data also revealed 282 grow sites across Oregon serving 11
or more patients, a 129 percent increase since 2012.
“You have to be able
to move quickly,” Portland real estate agent Zack Stratford told The Oregonian. Stratford works with
growers and dispensary owners to find spaces. “You have to have your bios
ready, your finances ready. The landlords want to see that you are legit. If
you don’t have all that ready and you are not able to compete with multiple
offers, you will not get a location.”
Portland city officials
say they have no idea where or how many commercial-scale medical cannabis
growers operate within city limits. Grow site locations are confidential and
fall largely outside of state regulation. The Oregon medical cannabis
cardholder database is available to the police if necessary, but only to
confirm whether a grow site is in fact a legally registered location.
City officials want to
push the information to be more open and available, especially as they get
ready for recreational cannabis growth and sales to take place in their state.
In the meantime, however, Portland and other neighboring cities are filling up
fast with hopeful cultivators ready to get a head start on the market.
