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Council amends cannabis ordinance to reflect state daycare buffer limits, adopts change 5‑0
Summary
Rosemount City Council added cannabis and hemp retailers to the city’s 500‑foot buffer from licensed childcare facilities (state statute sets a 500‑foot maximum for daycare facilities), while keeping a 1,000‑foot standard for schools; the ordinance amendment passed unanimously.
The Rosemount City Council voted unanimously on May 19 to amend the city’s cannabis and hemp business regulations to add licensed cannabis retailers to the 500‑foot buffer from licensed childcare facilities, while keeping a 1,000‑foot buffer for K–12 and higher‑education institutions.
Council discussion focused on the difference between the two distances. Councilor Esler, who pulled the consent item for discussion, asked why the childcare buffer was 500 feet rather than 1,000; city staff and the city clerk explained that Minnesota state statute sets a 500‑foot maximum for childcare facilities and prevents a larger local buffer for those facilities. “500 is the state maximum for a daycare facility,” a staff member said during the discussion.
Council moved to adopt the ordinance amendment (motion by Esler, second by Klimpel) and approved it by roll call vote, 5–0. The council’s action adds cannabis retail to the list of uses subject to the 500‑foot daycare buffer in the city code (Title 3‑11‑9 as amended) and leaves the existing 1,000‑foot separation intact for schools.
The council did not identify any immediate applicants for cannabis retail; staff cautioned that continued restriction of locations limits site availability. The amendment was adopted as presented and recorded in the consent agenda.
