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Hugo staff recommends no statutory buffers; council voices mixed views
Summary
Staff recommended the draft ordinance not include statutory buffers from schools/daycares, citing mapping and performance standards; some council members said a 300-foot buffer would be more sensible than no buffer, while others supported staff's approach.
City planning staff recommended against including statutory buffers in Hugo's draft cannabis ordinance and instead rely on performance standards and existing zoning to mitigate impacts on neighboring properties.
"So because of this staff is recommending that the city council consider an ordinance where buffers are not included," Associate Planner Max Gort said while showing maps of school and daycare locations and potential commercial/industrial parcels. Staff showed that a 1,000-foot buffer from schools would remove many parcels near the Highway 61 and County Road 8 intersection and that a 300-foot buffer would eliminate fewer sites.
Council members voiced mixed opinions. One council member said the 300-foot buffer “makes a little more sense than the 0” because existing separation (for example, Highway 61) already functions as a buffer in places. Another council member supported staff’s recommendation to start without buffers, noting the policy could be adjusted later. No formal buffer policy was adopted; the council asked staff to continue drafting the ordinance with the council’s direction and to bring the item back for public review at the Planning Commission hearing.
