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Planning commission backs maximum setbacks and forwards draft cannabis zoning to County Board
Summary
After reviewing condensed draft zoning language, commissioners recommended applying maximum setback distances (measured to the property line) and forwarded the land-use table and draft ordinance material to the County Board; staff flagged a likely state rule timeline delay to May–June 2025.
The Winona County Planning Commission reviewed a condensed draft of cannabis zoning language and recommended forwarding the draft land-use table to the County Board, with two substantive edits: adopt the maximum setbacks allowed under state guidance for sensitive uses and measure setbacks from the property line.
Staff presented the condensed draft (pages 102–105) and explained it splits zoning topics (where land-use controls apply) from registration and county administrative procedures. Staff suggested a starting point for setbacks (250–500 feet depending on use type, up to 1,000 feet for schools) and said the county has been monitoring peers; Mower County had recently adopted 500-foot setbacks as a reference.
Commissioners debated whether to adopt maximum allowable setbacks as a protective approach for schools and childcare, and whether to measure from building footprint or property boundary. The commission voted to recommend the maximum statutory setbacks and to apply them from the property line because property boundaries are objectively measured in county records.
Staff told the commission the state Office of Cannabis Management’s timeline for issuing pre-approval licenses had slipped and that local jurisdictions might not face immediate license pressure — the state’s pre-approval schedule was reported by staff as likely delayed until May–June 2025. The commission also voted to forward the land-use district table and the condensed draft to the county board for consideration; a separate county resolution would ask applicants to delay new applications until 90 days after the state adopts administrative rules.
The commission emphasized the draft is a working document and invited additional refinements on density, permitted districts and time-to-build conditions before the County Board’s hearing.
