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Mendota planning commission backs cannabis zoning with 500-foot buffer from children's areas
Summary
The Mendota Planning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend the City Council adopt zoning amendments to allow cannabis and hemp businesses, adding a requirement that dispensaries be at least 500 feet from places where children congregate, including the playground and ice rink at Veteran's Park.
The Mendota Planning Commission voted 6-0 on Oct. 30 to recommend that the City Council adopt an ordinance adding cannabis and hemp business regulations to Chapter VIII of the City Code, with an amendment requiring any cannabis dispensary to be at least 500 feet from areas where children congregate.
City Planner Jennifer Haskamp of Swanson Haskamp Consulting presented the staff report to the commission and explained that zoning rules for cannabis and hemp businesses would be added to Chapter VIII, while business registration requirements would be placed in Chapter II and determined by the City Council. The public hearing opened at 7:47 p.m.
The commission discussed several operational and siting details, including how sales tax revenue from cannabis businesses would be handled, buffer distances between cannabis businesses, and square-footage requirements tied to different license types. Commissioners emphasized protecting the nearby residential area by setting the largest allowed buffers from the playground equipment and ice rink on the pond in Veteran's Park.
One resident attending the hearing asked how neighboring cities had addressed cannabis zoning and when the state would begin issuing licenses and when Mendota businesses could open. The public hearing closed at 8:24 p.m.
Commissioner Rachel Golias moved to recommend approval of the draft ordinance amending Chapter VIII to add Cannabis Business and Hemp Business regulations, with the explicit change requiring dispensaries be located a minimum of 500 feet from locations where children congregate in town (identified in the motion as the playground equipment and ice rink at Veteran's Park). The motion was seconded by Commissioner Mary Samoszuk and carried unanimously, with the action recorded as approved 6-0.
The recommendation will be forwarded to the Mendota City Council for consideration; the staff report notes that business registration requirements will be addressed separately in Chapter II by the City Council. The commission also noted that MS4 requirements will be discussed at a future meeting and that, if a November meeting is needed, it would be moved to Nov. 20, 2024.
Minutes state that the meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by Debbie Donnelly and adjourned at 8:31 p.m. The commission’s minutes were submitted by Rachel Golias.
