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North Branch City Council rejected an application for a cannabis business last week but council said it’s not the product they oppose, it’s basically the location.

With a number of residents expressing concerns at last week’s meeting; the motion was made to not act until more information can be developed on the request to use Ruddy’s Rental as space for  “Wild River Cannabis.”  The local authorization is needed so the site can be considered by the state as being compliant with local standards.  The applicant also explained that nobody is going to sink money into security and remodeling logistics to meet state rules without first knowing the city is okay with this use.   Plus, this is proposed to be leased space and the applicant added that finding a property owner willing to work with him was not easy.

People who gave nearby addresses questioned the council if the North Branch rules had considered the facility for “vulnerable adults” which is very close to the proposed retail site at 4628 Isanti Trail. 

Resident Gloria Karsky noted the city code conditions include a requirement the cannabis business be so many feet from “daycare” centers but does not specifically identify vulnerable adults facility separation standards.

Other citizens who spoke asked about the safety of the intersection and if there will be a need for a turn lane. They said the hours of operation should be curtailed and were worried about adequate law enforcement to respond to issues that may arise.  

City Planner Nate Sondrol said preliminary approval is being asked for and that more details would be developed as the plan progresses. They have an 18-month window to find a location that is feasible from the date they get state authorization. The local code compliance is one step. Then follows a 30 day window for the approved business to draft safety/security protocol and implement other strict operational measures such as individual spaces for waiting customers and those actively shopping.

One council person, Patrick Meacham, remarked that the city has had a cannabis code for a year and he feels that now, after an application has been submitted, the city wants to delay. He felt it was “targeting” a certain use. 

Other council members declared the delay was just to address specific questions about this site that are unanswered. Council member Jeff Goulet also said he’d like to see some kind of future use layout for the general vicinity, to avoid issues with potential areas of housing and commerce, and being proactive on traffic demands, etc.

Council member Robert Canada’s motion to table the vote to October 28 was approved 4-1. 

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