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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes August 20, 2024 Page 10 1 Motion by Commissioner Erickson, seconded by Vice Chair Morita, to recommend the City 2 Council approve Staff’s recommendation with the first three conditions noted and the addition 3 of in-depth traffic/parking and environmental studies take place. 4 5 Motion carried 3-1 (Rude against). 6 7 Mr. Grittman noted this will come before the City Council at their September 10, 2024 8 Meeting. 9 10 B.11 Ordinance 2024 Cannabis Zoning Ordinance Amendments 12 13 Vice Chair Morita opened the public hearing at 8:35 p.m. 14 15 Mr. Grittman reviewed the State of Minnesota has passed legislation during the 2023 16 legislative session legalizing various aspects of cannabis use, sales, agriculture, and 17 manufacturing. This legislation follows 2022 legalization of certain low-potency hemp-based 18 THC products. The City of St. Anthony subsequently adopted regulations for hemp-THC 19 products. 20 21 In August of 2023, the City adopted a moratorium on cannabis-related businesses (as 22 authorized by the legislation), in anticipation of the State’s establishment of agency and rule- 23 making activities. The State has created the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to carry 24 out the requirements of the legislation, with an originally-anticipated state date of January, 25 2025. While that date may shift some, the City is seeking to update its zoning regulations to 26 comply with the local land use impacts of the legislation. 27 28 OCM has now developed a model ordinance for local government use and fine-tuning. The 29 model was provided for Commission review with some updates related to aspects of the code 30 that have already been addressed, which include a prohibition on use in public places, and a 31 separation buffer from specific land uses (1,000 feet for schools, 500 feet for parks regularly 32 used by minors, and 300 feet for childcare facilities and substance-abuse treatment facilities. 33 34 The ordinance has a few areas of local choice, but generally, the State will handle all 35 licensing, with local governments reviewing the suitability of a location per its zoning district 36 and building code compliance. There are a few areas of additional consideration, including the 37 following: 38 1.39 Number of licensed retail establishments. The state requires that all jurisdictions 40 allow at least one license for every 12,500 residents – the second license kicking in 41 at a population of 12,501. This draft ordinance anticipates the City limiting its 42 licenses to the one required, although the City can choose to allow more if it 43 wishes to do so. 44 2.45 Hours of Operation. As a rule, it is expected that a retail cannabis facility will 46 maintain typical retail hours. The state legislation allows the City to set more 47