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Kasson City panel recommends cannabis zoning ordinance to city council
Summary
A Kasson City advisory panel voted to recommend approval of a proposed cannabis zoning ordinance to the city council after staff said buffer distances are set by Minnesota state statutes and explained how park and school measurements work.
A Kasson City advisory panel voted to recommend approval of a proposed cannabis zoning ordinance to the city council after staff said state law limits how the city can set buffer distances.
Staff told the panel that the city cannot increase the buffer distance for day care centers because "it is set by the Minnesota state statutes," and that many definitions in the ordinance come from the statute. The staff summary also noted the principal uses table was updated to include the RC (residential commercial) district to allow cannabis retail and lower-potency hemp edible retail as permitted uses with standards rather than conditional use permits.
Panel members debated where local regulation still applies. One staff member said the city retains flexibility over zoning districts and hours of operation, while buffers for retail operations are constrained by state law. The panel discussed whether buffers should apply only to retail businesses or also to cultivation and wholesale uses; staff and members agreed state licensing limits local authority in some cases.
On measuring buffer distances, staff described a different treatment for parks and schools: "For the park ... it's measured from, like, the actual ... a swing set or a basketball court, not like the actual perimeter of the parcel that the park sits on. But if it's, like, a school, then it's the actual parcel." Members asked staff to clarify recommended enforcement wording (parcel/property) so the city council has clearer language.
After the discussion, a committee member moved to recommend approval of the ordinance to the council and asked staff to bring clarifying information for the council. The motion was seconded and the panel voted in favor. The panel's recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for final consideration.
The meeting also included a brief announcement about a separate matter: staff said that Mr. Nori has appealed the city's relocation of his conditional use permit for a fence and that a public hearing is scheduled at the next city council meeting on the nineteenth.
