City officials decided Tuesday to take a go-slow approach to the retail sale of cannabis in Eden Prairie, approving an ordinance that allows just five such businesses to exist, the minimum required by state law.
Those retail cannabis businesses would need to be at least 200 feet apart and at least 1,000 feet from any existing K-12 school, according to the ordinance OK’d April 1 by the Eden Prairie City Council.
Hours of operation would be limited to 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, the same hours maintained by Eden Prairie Liquor stores.
Police would conduct undercover compliance checks at least annually to make certain the businesses are not selling to people younger than 21. They already conduct compliance checks on alcohol and tobacco retailers in Eden Prairie.
The new regulations are needed before the state begins licensing cannabis businesses in the next few months. Recreational use of cannabis was legalized by the Minnesota Legislature in 2023.
Most of the cannabis regulation is handled by the state, but cities also have a say – they need to register these businesses and certify that they meet local zoning requirements.
The state has said each city must allow at least one cannabis retailer per 12,500 residents; in Eden Prairie, that equates to a minimum of five retailers. The city is not currently interested in having a municipally owned cannabis store, but even if it were, state law would require Eden Prairie to have an additional five retailers above that.
City officials, who are not obligated to find retailers, said Tuesday they don’t know if there will be enough demand for five retail cannabis licenses. At some future date, they could also change the ordinance to allow more.
Mayor Ron Case acknowledged at Tuesday’s meeting that some residents likely want more restrictions than are proposed; some want less. He said the ordinance, discussed by council members in several earlier, informal work sessions, is a “reasonable and thoughtful way to address this.”
“We think it’s a good compromise and a good way to get into this issue, knowing we didn’t create it, the Legislature did,” Case said.
The new ordinance, however, doesn’t mean there will be only five cannabis-related businesses in Eden Prairie. It applies only to the retail sale of cannabis, whereas the state has more than a dozen different licenses it will issue – for growers, transporters, wholesalers, and more. Eden Prairie zoning codes already stipulate where those other licensed businesses would be allowed to operate, said Community Development Director Julie Klima.
The new ordinance also does not apply to businesses that have been selling low-potency hemp products, such as edibles and THC beverages. Eden Prairie is already regulating those, although the state is expected to take over regulatory control at some future date.
As for the 1,000-foot buffer from existing schools, it still allows plenty of potential locations for cannabis retailers. Klima said the buffer rule only eliminates about 15% of commercially zoned properties from being eligible. For example, there is a large area surrounding Eden Prairie Center that is far enough from schools to be eligible to host one or more cannabis retailers.
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