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Council approves zoning amendments to allow indoor cannabis cultivation and approves labor‑peace terms for municipal dispensary
Summary
Council approved ordinance 2025‑010 to add indoor cannabis cultivation as a conditional use in the B2 Highway Business District and as a permitted use in the Light Industrial District; applicants described sealed indoor operations, odor and waste controls, and modest production (estimated 300–600 lbs/year from a ~3,000 sq ft facility). The council also approved a labor‑peace agreement tied to the planned municipal dispensary.
City planning staff presented two requests to amend the City of Saint Joseph zoning ordinance so indoor cannabis cultivation would be allowed as a conditional use in the B2 Highway Business District (including 417 1st Avenue NE) and as a permitted use in the Light Industrial District.
Staff told the council the planning commission held a public hearing on Aug. 5 and recommended approval: the commission voted 3–1 to approve adding indoor greenhouse/cannabis cultivation as a conditional use in the B2 district and voted 4–0 to add cultivation as a permitted use in the Light Industrial District. The planning commission discussion, staff said, had focused on safety, odor control, wastewater handling, lighting, hours of operation, truck traffic and appropriate production scale.
Representatives of the applicants responded to council questions and described their proposed operations as sealed, indoor cultivation. They said they would install cameras and alarm systems connected to police, use carbon and HEPA filters (and sealed rooms) to control odor and mold, employ coconut‑husk growing media and compost plant waste on‑site, and limit transport of product to licensed distributors. One applicant described the operation as "boutique," estimating a 3,000‑square‑foot facility producing roughly 300–600 pounds of product over a year and said "it's honestly like you're gonna notice that we're not even there."
Council member [mover] made a motion to approve ordinance 2025‑010 (amending sections 502.54 and 506.62); the motion was seconded, the council voted 'aye,' and the motion carried. The council also approved summary publication of resolution 2025‑057. Later in the agenda, the council considered and approved a labor‑peace agreement related to the municipal dispensary; staff explained the agreement references the Teamsters as a union that had expressed interest and provides a mechanism for the contracted operator (Red Pine Group) to either be assigned the agreement or to enter a separate labor agreement if employees choose to unionize.
The zoning amendment and the labor‑peace agreement move forward the city's plans for regulated cannabis cultivation and municipal retail options, subject to licensing and operator agreements under the state regulatory framework.
