ROCHESTER — At least one prospective Olmsted County cannabis retailer is hoping to build from the ground up, if approved for a local registration.
Deputy County Administrator Amy Rauchwarter said the unnamed, licensed cannabis retailer is concerned about a county ordinance creating
a six-month deadline for opening,
if approved for a local registration.
“This business is saying it could take longer than that,” Rauchwarter said.
County commissioners included the deadline, with a potential 90-day extension, to make sure the 14 available cannabis registrations are used in a timely manner, since other potential businesses will be selected as alternates in the upcoming lotteries.
“It’s really unfair to the businesses that might be waiting for one,” commissioner Bob Hopkins said when the time limit was approved in May.
The ordinance was created with the assumption that businesses would open in established buildings, rather than construct something new, which would require development reviews and building permits before work can start.
To potentially provide time for new construction, county commissioners plan to consider ordinance changes to allow cannabis businesses to seek variances.
The proposed changes will be the subject of a public hearing at 11 a.m. Tuesday, during the commissioners’ regular meeting in board chambers of the city-county Government Center.
Senior Assistant Olmsted County Attorney Tom Canan said the ordinance change provides a path for approving variances without needing to call on commissioners to make a decision. It puts the initial review in the hands of the Olmsted County Public Health director.
Canan said the creation of the option is urgent with the
first local registrations expected to be the subject of an Aug. 7 lottery.
The lottery is set for 2 p.m. in Graham Park’s Aune Hall and is expected to select the eight microbusinesses from 11 that applied for local registration.
A similar lottery to narrow six mezzobusiness applications to two local registrations is expected to happen in late August or early September, according to Olmsted County Public Health Associate Director Sagar Chowdhury.
While
both business types can grow, buy and sell cannabis products,
a microbusiness is only allowed a single retail outlet in the state, while a mezzobusiness can have up to three outlets.
Applications for up to four local retail cannabis registrations, which allow sales from multiple state locations without growing operations, are being accepted through Aug. 22. A lottery will be planned if the number of applications exceeds the four allowed local registrations.
As the process for approving local registrations moves forward, another proposed ordinance change being considered Tuesday would restrict the potential for an owner or operator who has had a license or permit revoked from receiving a new license or permit for a similar business within two years.
Rauchwarter and Canan said the change extends beyond cannabis retailers, applying to a variety of licenses and permits the county oversees.
Canan said the proposed restriction is based on past county experience, where businesses have sought a new license following revocation and created a drain on staff resources when additional violations are discovered.
If the ordinance revisions are approved, they are expected to take effect Aug. 9, 2025.
Meetings scheduled to be held during the week of Aug. 4 include:
Rochester
• Airport Commission, 1 p.m. Tuesday in the administration conference room of City Hall, 201 Fourth St. SE.
• Public Utility Board, 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Rochester Public Utilities community room, 4000 East River Road NE.
• Park Board, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in room 104 in City Hall.
• Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers of the Government Center.
Olmsted County
• Physical Development Committee, 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in conference room 1 of the Government Center.
• Board of County Commissioners, 11 a.m. Tuesday in the board chambers of the Government Center.
• Administrative Committee, 1 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 1 of the Government Center.
• Parks and Trails Commission, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in conference room A at 2122 Campus Drive SE.
• Planning Advisory Commission, 7 p.m. Thursday, in board chambers of the city-county Government Center.
Rochester Public Schools
• School Board, 4 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of the Edison Building, 615 Seventh St. SW.
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