Oak Park Heights council approves rezoning and CUP for St. Croy cannabis dispensary; orders small-area study of 60th Street corridor

Oak Park Heights Mayor Dhy and the City Council voted to approve a comprehensive-plan amendment, rezoning ordinance 2026-41 and a conditional use permit that will allow a retail cannabis dispensary to operate at the former veterinary clinic parcel owned by John Junko (application submitted by Richard Zimmerman).

Attorney Sandstrom told the council that state statute requires the planning commission to hold the public hearing on zoning amendments and that the planning commission had recommended the application following a neighborhood meeting on Jan. 8 attended by about 10–12 residents. The council voted 4–1 to approve the comprehensive-plan amendment (Council member Johnson opposed) and 4–1 to adopt zoning ordinance 2026-41; the CUP was later approved in a roll call where all members voted in favor.

Council members debated two alternatives: approve the parcel-specific comp-plan and rezoning package now, or instead pursue a text amendment to the Residential Business (RB) district that would allow a tightly limited retail use without changing parcel zoning. Supporters of approving the rezoning said the building is vacant and rezoning would allow a local resident-owned business to proceed; opponents warned a rezoning could set a precedent that other adjacent parcel owners might use to request commercial zoning.

Council member Run pressed staff for a fuller review of the surrounding corridor after identifying mapping inconsistencies, including an instance where a single tax parcel appears to carry two different zone designations. Run said the uncertainty undercuts consistent decision-making and asked staff to put that anomaly in the record and to return a small-area study examining five properties west of Oldfield, possible zoning alternatives, and projected costs. The council approved a motion directing staff to prepare a scope for a small-area study of the 60th Street corridor and to seek grant funding from the Washington County Community Development Authority.

Staff noted the council’s options going forward: adopt the parcel-specific comp-plan amendment (which requires a four-fifths vote), pursue a zoning-text amendment to the RB district (a simpler legislative route requiring a lesser vote), or ask the applicant to agree on the record to extend the city’s 120-day decision period (the current statutory review period ends Feb. 9) to allow additional review. Attorney Sandstrom and staff explained it is common for applicants to grant extensions to avoid automatic approval by operation of law.

What happens next: with the council’s approvals the applicant may proceed with required permits and conditions in the CUP; staff will return with a scope, cost estimate and funding plan for the small-area study, and the council may discuss whether to pursue a moratorium while the study is conducted.