The thought that a cannabis retail store could one day open near his youth hockey training center in Stillwater has outraged LumberYard Hockey and Sports Center co-owner Lee Erickson.
“It’s so frustrating,” Erickson said Thursday. “We will be encouraging everyone we can to contact the city council members and urge them to vote against this. The question that matters is: Will this store make our youth/family/community corridor better or worse? I think we all know the answer.”
Erickson was commenting on a proposal for a recreational cannabis shop at 1754 Washington Ave., just south of the LumberYard, which trains thousands of young hockey, baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer and football players each year. The site also is close to the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center and Curio Dance Studio, which also cater to youth.
Stillwater’s planning commission has voted to recommend approval of a conditional-use permit for the site, with a caveat: The Stillwater City Council will have to decide whether the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center’s dome qualifies as a park amenity. If it is determined to be a park amenity, then the cannabis shop would be within the city’s 500-foot buffer requirement and wouldn’t be allowed without a variance.
The city council is expected to vote on the matter on Nov. 5.
Erickson said he hopes the council will “listen to their constituents and vote ‘no.’”
“The intent of the rules is to keep stores like this away from youth,” he said. “We are here to help kids get a little better every day. It’s heartbreaking that this is even an issue. It’s obvious that a cannabis shop is not a good fit.”
Like Stillwater, other area cities such as Hastings, Roseville and Woodbury require marijuana businesses to be at least 500 feet from schools. Other cities only set distance requirements between competing dispensaries.
The Pioneer Press checked in with a sampling of east metro cities, some where dispensaries are already in operation and others with shops awaiting licenses, to see how they are navigating the new legal-marijuana reality. We also looked at restrictions on alcohol and tobacco retailers to see how they compare.
Here’s what we found (cities listed in alphabetical order; this list is not exhaustive):
Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove, with a population of more than 43,000, will allow the registration of four retail cannabis operations, according to the city. This restriction, however, does not apply to a medical cannabis combination business or lower-potency hemp edible retailer.
A business called High North is awaiting a license from the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management to begin selling retail or medical and recreational cannabis. G-Will, 6999 80th St. S., has received its conditional-use permit from the city and is awaiting a license issued by the state.
According to the city, cannabis operations must have at least 1,000 feet between one another, be more than 1,000 feet from a school, more than 500 feet from a day care that is in a business or mixed-use zoning district, more than 500 feet from a residential treatment facility, more than 500 feet from an attraction within a public park that is regularly used by minors and more than 1,000 feet from a residential zoning district.
Eagan
The city of Eagan requires a 350-foot separation between retail cannabis dispensaries, but does not require a buffer option from certain land uses like schools, parks and day cares, said City Planner Mike Schultz in an email.
“City Council did not institute the buffer option from certain land uses that cities could implement under State Statutes, largely on the basis that the city does not implement buffer requirements for similar businesses such as liquor and tobacco stores,” Schultz said.
Rise, the city’s only dispensary, at 1340 Town Centre Drive, is located in a retail-heavy corridor near restaurants and shops like Kohl’s, McDonald’s, Walmart and Applebee’s.
Eagan allows up to eight adult-use retail dispensaries, Schultz said. Currently, the city has issued pre-approval for all eight retail registrations.
Schultz also noted that medical cannabis combination licenses, which is the license held by Rise, may not be limited under a municipal retail registration program. As a result, the city has eight retail registrations and one medical cannabis combination dispensary.
Falcon Heights
There currently are no cannabis retailers in the city of Falcon Heights, said City Administrator Jack Linehan on Wednesday.
A cannabis retailer must be 300 feet from primary or secondary schools, residential treatment facilities, day cares or parks with play features regularly used by minors, Linehan said. Liquor retailers, whose city regulations were set prior to the legalization of cannabis use in Minnesota, must be 300 feet from schools or churches.
The city limits registration to no more than one cannabis retailer, which does not apply to businesses with lower-potency hemp edible retailer registrations.
Falcon Heights has not received any applications from cannabis retailers that have come in front of the city council.
Forest Lake
The Forest Lake City Council on Monday night will be considering an amendment to cannabis registration ordinances that would cap retail registrations at three: the statutory minimum plus one, said Assistant City Administrator Jolleen Chaika.
City code allows for retail cannabis operations within the city’s commercial, agricultural, business and mixed-use districts, but an interim-use permit must be obtained for zoning compliance, Chaika said.
As of Friday, the city has had two locations obtain permits but had not yet received any registration applications for any retailers, she said. The two locations are at 115 Lake St. N. and 508 Lake St. S. An interim-use permit application is pending for 1467 Lake St. S., she said.
The city’s distance requirements, which are identical to the city’s alcohol and tobacco restrictions, state that there must be 500 feet between cannabis businesses, and that cannabis businesses must be at least 500 feet from a school, commercial day care or residential treatment facility. They also must be at least 500 feet from an attraction within a public park that is regularly used by minors, such as a playground, athletic field, athletic court, picnic area or restrooms, pavilion or park building.
Lakeside Memorial Park in downtown Forest Lake is excluded from the distance requirements due to the close proximity of downtown to the park, Chaika said.
Hastings
The city of Hastings has established registration and zoning requirements for retail cannabis sales, including setbacks from parks, schools and treatment facilities, said John Hinzman, community development director.
Retail sales are allowed in most commercial zoning districts with a special use permit, Hinzman said.
Distance restrictions for Hastings cannabis retailers stipulate that there must be 1,000 feet between retailers and the stores must be more than 500 feet from a school, residential treatment facility and public parks that are regularly used by minors.
The city does not have distance requirements for alcohol retailers, Hinzman said.
Hastings established a cap of two registrations for retail cannabis operations. One of the two registrations has been issued for Green 2 Go, a dispensary located at 2103 Vermillion St., near restaurants, automotive shops and hotels. The dispensary is interviewing for “budtenders” this week, according to Facebook.
Lake Elmo
Lake Elmo, which has a population around 14,500, has not received any applications for cannabis retailers, said Jason Stopa, the city’s community development director. The number of potential cannabis retailers in the city is at least two, based on the state’s requirement of one active registration for every 12,500 residents, he said.
Cannabis retailers are a conditional use in mixed-use commercial, commercial or business park districts, subject to setback requirements, Stopa said, adding that the majority of these sites are near the Interstate 94 corridor.
The city’s setback requirements state that cannabis retailers must be at least 1,000 feet from schools, at least 500 feet from licensed day care centers, park features, or residential treatment facilities, and at least 50 feet from an attraction within a public park that is regularly used by minors, including a playground or athletic field.
The city follows state statutes regulating alcohol and tobacco locations; Washington County handles licensing of tobacco for the city, Stopa said.
Lakeville
The city of Lakeville stipulates a cannabis retail business shall not operate within 500 feet of a school, according to the city ordinance.
Other performance standards include age limitations and proper ventilation “so that the odor of marijuana cannot be detected,” per the ordinance.
“The ordinance includes a limit of six retail registrations, and we have reached that limit,” said Community Development Director Tina Goodroad, in an email.
Located at 16085 Buck Hill Road, MN THC Co. is less than a mile from Bowlero bowling alley, Lakeville Early Childhood Learning, McDonald’s, Starbucks and the basketball courts at Oak Shores Park.
Two miles south of MN THC Co. sits Mainstream CBD. Located at 17677 Kenwood Trail, Mainstream CBD is a stone’s throw from Jimmy John’s, Green Mill restaurant and fitness facilities like Just for Kix dance studio and Lakeville Links Indoor Golf.
Mounds View
Mounds View requires a 300-foot separation between cannabis retailers and schools, day cares or parks with play features, following the same parameters as liquor retailers in the city.
While Mounds View has had several retail applicants looking to sell cannabis, none currently operate in the city. A challenge for applicants has been finding available retail space in Mounds View, according to City Administrator Nyle Zikmund.
The city council approved a memorandum of understanding in March with cannabis retailer MN Roots for the operation of a municipal cannabis retail store. MN Roots is the city’s partner and Mounds View is the licensed entity and the business could open in January, according to Zikmund.
Oakdale
Oakdale, which has a population around 30,000, has received applications for two of the possible three retail cannabis registrations that are allowed in the city, said City Administrator Christina Volkers.
Cannabis retailers are permitted in the B-1 commercial district, subject to setback requirements, Volkers said, adding that the majority of commercial properties in Oakdale are zoned B-1.
The city’s setback requirements state that cannabis retailers must be at least 1,000 feet from schools and 500 feet from licensed day cares, park features or residential treatment facilities, she said.
Cannabis registrations and alcohol/tobacco licenses largely follow similar approval processes. The primary difference is that cannabis registrations are subject to distance requirements from certain uses, while alcohol and tobacco retailers are not, she said.
Roseville
The city of Roseville currently does not have any cannabis retailers operating in the city and has not considered municipally owned cannabis retailers, said Janice Gundlach, Roseville community development director, in an email. One applicant has its needed approvals and could open soon in what would be a predominantly commercial area, she added.
Cannabis retailers must have a 100-foot buffer from schools and day cares and a 500-foot buffer from residential treatment facilities, according to Gundlach.
“In drafting zoning regulations, our Council attempted to treat cannabis businesses much like alcohol and tobacco,” Gundlach said in the email. “Generally speaking, where retail is permitted, cannabis retailers are permitted.”
While the city has received many inquiries on cannabis retail operations, other retail registrations have not been finalized.
St. Paul
The city of St. Paul has three cannabis retailers: Rise at 2239 Ford Parkway, DNA Dispensary at 1559 Randolph Ave. and Bloom Wellness Dispensary coming to 550 Vandalia St. Except in certain business zoning districts, cannabis businesses must be located at least 300 feet from primary and secondary schools.
Alcohol retailers must be at least 300 feet from parks, licensed child care centers or residentially zoned property. They also must be at least a half-mile from existing alcohol retailers, unless in the downtown business district, which allows a 300-foot minimum.
Retailers making 90% or more of their revenue from tobacco products must be at least a half-mile from any other establishments with a tobacco license.
The city does not currently have any pending registration requests, according to city officials. However, the state Office of Cannabis Management is working on licenses for businesses that would be located in St. Paul if approved.
Stillwater
Stillwater, which has a population around 19,000, has received four applications for cannabis retailers, said Jason Zimmerman, the city’s community development director. The Stillwater City Council earlier this month capped the number of potential cannabis retailers in the city at three; the state requires one active registration be allowed for every 12,500 residents, he said.
Cannabis retailers are a conditional use in three business park districts, subject to distance requirements, Zimmerman said.
The city’s setback requirements state that there must be 1,000 feet between each cannabis use or lower-potency hemp edible use. Cannabis retailers also must be more than 1,000 feet from schools, more than 500 feet from residential treatment facilities and from an attraction within a public park that is regularly used by minors, such as a playground, athletic field, picnic area or park building and more than 200 feet from a residential zoning district.
According to city code, liquor licenses may not be issued within 500 feet of a church or school (other than temporary licenses).
“That’s the only other distance restriction we have on the books,” Zimmerman said.
Woodbury
The city of Woodbury, which has a population of more than 80,000, will allow up to seven recreational marijuana businesses to operate in the city and currently has five registered, including the currently operating medical dispensary Green Goods, at 803 Bielenberg Drive, and dispensary Legacy Cannabis, at 9891 Hudson Place.
“As it relates to how we regulate, the City reviewed best practices from across the country to establish performance standards for cannabis businesses,” Assistant Community Development Director and City Planner Eric Searles said.
According to the city, registrations are not issued until a preliminary compliance check is completed, including having approved parking, enhanced ventilation systems and security measures required by state and local laws.
Cannabis operations in Woodbury cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school, within 500 feet of a residential treatment facility, or within 500 feet of “an attraction within a public park that is regularly or intended to be used by a minor, including all playgrounds and/or athletic fields,” according to the city.“These regulations are above what is required for alcohol and tobacco but appropriate based on feedback received by the city during conversations with established cannabis retailers to ensure the goal of delivering a safe and aesthetically positive retail experience,” Searles said.
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