Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development Cannabis topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission recommends Doden Investments’ cannabis microbusiness with fence and wastewater conditions
Summary
Morrison County planners recommended approval of an interim use permit for a cannabis microbusiness proposed by Ray Doden and Cole Zupkco, conditioned on a perimeter fence before operations and a sunset tied to licensure; the plan includes indoor cultivation (234 sq ft canopy), manufacturing, three holding tanks for wastewater and security/odor controls.
The Morrison County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of an interim use permit for a proposed cannabis microbusiness at a former motel site, subject to conditions including installation of a perimeter fence before operations and a sunset linked to the license holder.
Staff described the project as a conversion of two parcels (2.35 acres) in Little Falls Township into a 120-by-40-foot facility that would include a 234-square-foot indoor cultivation canopy and joint and vape cartridge manufacturing endorsements. The applicants, Ray Doden and Cole Zupkco, told the commission the first phase would employ up to nine people with plans for future expansion and potential purchase of adjacent property to accommodate growth.
Commissioners pressed the applicants on wastewater handling, hazardous‑waste obligations and odor control. The applicants described a multi‑tank approach: separate holding tanks for greenhouse/process runoff, human waste and manufacturing waste, and indicated plans to compost plant waste on site. Amy Waltz (land services staff) said the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has testing protocols for wastewater from businesses classified as "very small quantity generators" and that appropriate laboratory testing and MPCA oversight would be required.
On security and smell mitigation, the applicants described a negative‑pressure grow-room design and charcoal filtration for ancillary areas; security plans submitted include 24‑hour monitoring and locked, fenced storage for product. When commissioners raised fencing timing, the applicants agreed to install a fence before operations start. "I'm going to do it," one applicant said when the commission asked whether the fence would be installed prior to growing.
Commissioners voted in the affirmative on the ordinance criteria and recommended approval to the County Board, with the sunset condition tied to when the current license holder no longer holds the license (i.e., new owners would need their own interim use permit). The County Board will take up the item on May 5, 2026.
The record also notes operational details: proposed hours of operation, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily; limited truck traffic (one to two trucks, up to three times weekly); indoor-only cultivation with no outdoor grow proposed; and indoor storage of fertilizers and inputs. The commission included a condition that the perimeter fence be installed before cultivation begins and that wastewater/disposal procedures comply with MPCA protocols.
