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Goodhue County adopts zoning changes to regulate cannabis, sets maximum statutory buffers
Summary
The Goodhue County Board of Commissioners voted to amend Articles 10, 11 and 20 of the county zoning ordinance to implement county cannabis rules, adopt maximum state-authorized setback buffers, and reflect planning commission recommendations; no members of the public spoke at the hearing.
The Goodhue County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 3 to adopt updates to Articles 10, 11 and 20 of the county zoning ordinance to regulate cannabis businesses and establish setback buffers.
Land-use staff told the board the proposed language incorporates statutory definitions and identifies permitted and conditional uses for agricultural, business and industrial districts. "They're the maximum allowed," Speaker 8 said of the setback distances, referring to the state statute limits in the draft ordinance. The planning commission held a public hearing Nov. 18 and forwarded the draft without changes; staff recommended the board accept the planning advisory commission report into the record and approve the amendments.
The board opened a public hearing and called for speakers three times; no members of the public spoke. Several commissioners then asked how the ordinance would interact with township or municipal zoning. Speaker 1 said the county should adopt the most restrictive buffers permitted by state law to simplify enforcement: "I just think we want to be as restrictive as we can and then hopefully we can just follow that," Speaker 1 said.
After questions, Speaker 1 moved to adopt the ordinance amendments as presented and Speaker 2 seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote and the chair announced the motion carries. Staff thanked Megan and Sam for their work on the draft and implementation materials.
The zoning amendments follow the county's earlier adoption of a cannabis ordinance and the temporary cannabis moratorium, which expires Jan. 1. Land-use staff said they will bring delegation agreements from several cities to the Dec. 17 meeting for the board to consider; Pine Island and Red Wing have not delegated their compliance authority to the county and will retain their own registration and compliance processes.
The board's adoption places the revised definitions, performance standards and table-of-uses into the county zoning ordinance; the text cited state statute for definitions and lists maximum statutory buffers for sensitive uses such as schools and day-care centers. The board's next steps include considering city delegation agreements at the Dec. 17 meeting and final implementation guidance from county staff.
