The Woodbury City Council voted last week to restrict signage by cannabis and hemp businesses. The hope, as expressed by council member Steve Morris at the council’s Oct. 9 meeting, is to avoid catchy, colorful signage along I-94 and I-494 sending a message of “welcome to Woodbury, pot central.”
The state Legislature approved adult-use cannabis businesses in 2023 but allowed cities to impose a one-year ban to consider their approach to regulation. Woodbury’s ban expires at the end of the year and its new rules will go into effect in January. That’s when the state Office of Cannabis Management is expected to give these businesses approval to launch.
The ordinance the council approved last week prohibits cannabis and hemp businesses from posting signs that depict a cannabis flower, cannabis product, hemp edibles, or a hemp-derived edible consumer product.
State law does not allow any cannabis businesses to operate within 1,000 feet of a school or 500 feet of a childcare or residential treatment facility.
The council also approved zoning restrictions that limit the retailers to development areas zoned B2 or B3 and cannabis and hemp manufacturers and warehouses to areas zoned I-1. “The good news is it appears these can be regulated in a fairly straightforward manner,” Eric Searles, city planner, told the council at its meeting last week.
The B2 and B3 zoning areas include the major retail developments in the city including Tamarack Village, Woodbury Lakes and developments on Woodbury Drive off I-94 and Valley Creek Road off I-494. The I-1 zone is primarily south of Hudson Road.
In addition to zoning, the council approved performance standards for the businesses that include buffer zones, parking, odor, signage, lighting, noise, water conservation, outdoor use, security, and hours of operation.
Rules will also prohibit on-site consumption during temporary cannabis events. Groups would need to secure a permit for those events. The city standards include a buffer zone, hours of operation, and security that would have to be considered before granting a permit.
In November, the council will consider registration requirements that could limit the number of cannabis and hemp businesses in Woodbury.
