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Applicant requests cannabis cultivation CUP as Harris commission opts to keep city ordinance
Summary
An applicant asked the Harris Planning Commission for a conditional use permit to operate a cannabis cultivation microbusiness; commissioners voted to retain the city's cannabis ordinance (2025-06) and directed the clerk to update it to reflect 2025 state statutes. A public hearing is set for Oct. 27.
An applicant requested permission to establish a small-scale cannabis cultivation and manufacturing operation and the Harris Planning Commission chose to retain the city's cannabis ordinance while updating it to reflect 2025 state law. Dan Westman of 45325 Forest Blvd., Harris, appeared to ask for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a cannabis-growing microbusiness and said he already holds a retail license through the Office of Cannabis Management for The Stash & Co. in Rush City.
Westman told the commission that OCM regulations "require a 6-foot perimeter fence and surveillance at all entrances to the farm." He said the operation would begin in a greenhouse this year with outdoor cultivation planned for the following year, and that wastewater would be minimal and used for soil regeneration. He added the farm would maintain standard agricultural hours and would not be open to the public, and that prior hemp cultivation at a greater scale "did not result in complaints." The commission did not take final action on the CUP at this meeting; a public hearing on the application is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 27.
Commissioners also reviewed whether to adopt the Chisago County Cannabis Ordinance, which would allow the county to oversee some aspects of cannabis regulation. City Clerk Shannon Geier told the commission the county's role would be limited to registration of retail establishments while Harris would retain authority to issue conditional use permits. The commissioners ultimately "elected to maintain the Harris Ordinance" (Ordinance 2025-06) and instructed Geier to incorporate relevant updates based on the 2025 state statutes. A public hearing on the ordinance updates was also scheduled for Monday, Oct. 27.
The meeting record shows no public comments were offered during the open-comment period. The commission's actions at this meeting were procedural: scheduling public hearings and directing staff to revise the city ordinance. Any permit or ordinance changes will require the forthcoming public hearings and any subsequent formal votes.
