Laserfiche WebLink
STAFF REPORT <br />TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of the Little Canada City Council <br />FROM: Ben Harrington, AICP, Community Development Director <br />DATE: September 24, 2025 <br />CASE: Planning Case 1446 <br />ADDRESS: 75 Little Canada Road W, Little Canada, MN 55117 <br />APPLICANT: Feelin MN – John DeRosa <br />REQUEST: Interim Use Permit for Cannabis Retailer <br />ACTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED <br />Approve with conditions or deny an Interim Use Permit (IUP) for Feelin MN to operate a retail <br />cannabis business at 75 Little Canada Road West Little Canada, MN. <br />BACKGROUND <br />John DeRosa, on behalf of Feelin MN LLC, is proposing to open a retail cannabis dispensary at 75 <br />Little Canada Road West in Little Canada. <br />Recreational cannabis was legalized in 2023 by the Minnesota Legislature, with business licensing <br />beginning in spring 2025 through the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). In January 2025, <br />the City of Little Canada adopted a local ordinance permitting up to one retail cannabis dispensary <br />within the city. <br />At its August meeting, the Planning Commission recommended approval of an Interim Use Permit <br />(IUP) for Feelin MN to operate a retail cannabis dispensary at 2864 Middle Street. Following that <br />action, the Common Interest Community governing the property identified conflicts with its private <br />bylaws. As a result, the applicant chose to withdraw its application (Planning Case 1443) and pursue <br />an alternative location. Because both the IUP and the City’s local registration process are location- <br />specific, the applicant is required to restart the registration and IUP review process for the new site. <br />Feelin MN has received preliminary license approval from OCM and has submitted a retail registration <br />application under the City’s administrative code. The City has followed its adopted registration process <br />with the formal 15-day review period for other completed applications which closed on September 12th <br />at 5pm. No other applications were received and the issuance of the retail registration is contingent on <br />the approval of the Interim Use Permit. <br />The dispensary is proposed for 75 Little Canada Road West, a stand-alone office building, developed <br />in 1972. The site is currently owned and operated by Oakwind Clinic of Chiropractic and is zoned C-2, <br />Corridor Mixed, which allows a range of commercial and high-density residential uses, including retail <br />cannabis as an allowable interim use.