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Spring Grove council approves 500-foot buffer for cannabis dispensaries; applicant withdraws
Summary
After divided votes on competing buffer proposals, the Spring Grove City Council approved a 500-foot buffer between cannabis dispensaries and schools or parks; the prospective LMNO applicant announced withdrawal following the vote.
The Spring Grove City Council voted Jan. 20 to establish a 500-foot buffer between cannabis dispensaries and any school or city park, a change to the proposed Chapter 310 update that addresses both smokable flower and lower-potency products.
Mayor Bryan Wilhelmson moved for the 500-foot buffer and Council Member Eric Ostern seconded; the motion passed 3–2 with Council Members Ostern, Morgan Buckland and Mayor Wilhelmson in favor and Council Members Trent Turner and Michael Hagen opposed. Earlier motions for a 300-foot buffer and for a 500-foot buffer that would have also restricted low-potency products failed on 2–3 votes.
Administrator Jana Elton told the council the ordinance language was based on a League of Minnesota Cities model and must be amended to include both flower and low-potency items; she said a public hearing will be scheduled next month for formal adoption. Elton also noted that low-potency beverages and edibles are already sold at several city businesses and that state regulation governs dispensaries.
Business owner Adam Steele, who had applied to locate a dispensary in a vacant storefront, told council that a licensed dispensary offers safer access than some low-potency products sold elsewhere. Steele said a strict buffer could exclude his prospective location; after the council adopted the 500-foot buffer, he announced he was withdrawing the LMNO application.
Council discussion highlighted differing viewpoints: Council Members Turner and Hagen argued for stricter distance requirements and broader inclusion of low-potency sales, while Ostern and Buckland favored allowing the business with a 500-foot buffer in place. Mayor Wilhelmson said he had consulted a deputy who suggested increased crime could be a concern and referenced Colorado as an example of adverse outcomes, a cautionary note in his remarks.
The council tabled final ordinance adoption until after the public hearing; the city will schedule that hearing and return the amended Chapter 310 for formal action. The LMNO applicant’s withdrawal ends that immediate application but the ordinance change will govern future dispensary requests.
